Authentic
by TygTag
Summary: Olivia never agreed to election rigging but the rest of the team took the plunge anyway without her agreement. Spoilers through Second Season.
1. One

**Authentic**

TygTag

Olivia never agreed to election rigging but the rest of the team took the plunge anyway without her agreement. Spoilers for up to 2x13

_This is my very first Scandal story, I have a million ideas floating around in my head but this is a major one that I have just not been able to get rid of. Any and all mistakes are my own. Currently a one shot but if it gets enough interest I just may expand on it._

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"You know… Verna; of course – a deathbed confession, did she happen to give you the whole story!? Did she happen to mention that despite the fact that I _knew_, my answer was ALWAYS emphatically no!?" She whispered viciously.

This caused a very noticeable and momentary pause and the expression of barely concealed anger and betrayal to drop from his face.

"No, of course not… why would she?"

Without a thought to appearances a large hand shot out and grabbed her arm before hustling her out of the church and through a side door into a deserted hallway.

"Explain," he said simply.

She inhaled sharply before a snarl left her lips.

"You want to know what happened. Hollis Doyle happened. It was all his grand idea. He approached Verna, Cyrus, Mellie and I, he said he had a guy. Needless to say your beloved _wife_ was one of the first ones to have her eyes light up like god damn Christmas tree lights at the thought of the White House being locked down and basically in the damn bag. Verna and Cyrus were more hesitant but they two could see what would be in their very bright futures if you won. Me… I freaked the fuck out and removed myself from the conversation. It didn't stop there though, for weeks… _weeks_ they pressured me to say yes. It was always this "you jump I jump jack bull" – meaning they wouldn't go through with it unless we ALL said yes."

A ragged breath escaped his lungs at what he was hearing; a wave of nausea caused him to sway slightly.

"Yeah that sick feeling you have on your face now, that's how I felt for _weeks_! My answer whenever it was brought up was always emphatically no! I believed… I believed in you, always! You had it, you _have_ it! I could see you, for you. I knew the race would be close, so close there was real potential you could lose but I believed you would get the votes needed to win. So even at zero hour when Cyrus told me that I was a political monster and that because I worshiped at your altar – which god help me I do – that I needed to do this for you, for the country I still held true and said _no_!" She finished brokenly.

"So… how, I mean Verna said it was done." He asked quietly, his eyes red rimmed.

A shuddered and shaky breath later, large brown eyes welled with tears.

"I don't know, and that _is_ the truth. I had had enough of it all and was coming to confide in you but it was on the plane when you had just found out your father had died. So I made a decision to never tell you, in my mind at the time it didn't matter. You would _never_ need to know because I was _never_ going to say yes. However, when the numbers started to roll in for Ohio – I just _knew_. I knew they had gone ahead anyway without my agreement. I confronted Verna, she basically told me that because I knew and didn't do anything about it I could still go down with them for it and I had best just keep my mouth shut. That everyone was getting what they wanted and what they deserved. So I stupidly kept my mouth shut because at the end of the day the only thing I wanted was for you to get your dream and to be President." She finished with a whisper.

"Livie," he whispered as he quickly tried to move forward and step into her personal space.

"No! You don't get to touch me." She bit out and jerked out of his reach.

"Liv,"

"Never call myself a _mistress_, I mean more than that to you. If I learned anything the last five minutes it's that everything… _everything_ you've ever said to me is a _lie_."

He began to shake his head and tried to desperately reach for her again.

"You get a half assed death bed confession from a corrupt Supreme Court justice and me, the woman you claim to _love_ – well you can't even give me five minutes of your time to find out my side of the story, the full story, the true authentic version of events. What was it you said? "Political Suicide" right!? Well you can go to hell Fitzgerald!"

"Olivia, please!" he sighed out brokenly as he once again tried to reach for her.

"I hope you enjoy keeping company with the lot of them, those who didn't actually _believe_ in you. Not the way I did."

"Livie," he whispered as a few tears began to slip down his cheeks.

"I was going to wait for you, fool that I am. I thought you were the real deal, that you were _it_."

"We can-"

"No! We can't… don't forget screwing your mistress is one thing but marrying her is political suicide, I'm sure you can come up with some other fun derogatory adjectives to go along with that."

"Olivia!"

"Goodbye Mister President" She said softly, before turning on heel and abruptly making her way down the long corridor and out of the church proper.

With a broken sob, Fitz collapsed against the nearest wall and slid to the floor. He then let one leg sprawl out in front of him before pulling the other to his chest. That was exactly how Cyrus Beene found him exactly ten minutes later.

"Mister President, are you alright?" he asked cautiously.

**End**

_Or is it just a beginning? Let me know!_


	2. Two

_So it seems that I'm continuing this. Hang on kids, its going to get worse before it gets better. The rating has been bumped to Mature for safety, though it shouldn't get too graphic – I don't think lol_

Two

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**Ten Months Later**

It burned.

The burn brought a small barely measurable amount of pleasure.

Pleasure as the fires licked at the back of his throat. It would hit his tongue first, and then the back of his throat and then run through is veins in a slow but steady burn.

Once again finally alone, the water continued to beat down cascading over his skin and down the drain. He couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief at the situation he now found himself in. He was surrounded by nothing but liars, manipulators and deception all because he couldn't keep a leash on his anger long enough to find out the truth.

With a snap of the wrist he turned off the taps and stepped out of the shower, he then gently set down the glass on the counter before he braced his arms against the vanity. Haunted eyes connected through the steam of the mirror in front of him, it was then with another shake of the head he moved to start the rest of the day.

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The promenade was a popular place to go among tourists and even the government elite looking to get out of the varying government buildings, even if it was only for a few minutes out of their very long days.

"I only have a minute, he's watching me Liv" Cyrus sighed heavily.

"He's not watching you,"

"The President _is_ watching me. I feel like every time I leave to see you he knows where I'm going and he adds another mark against me."

"Can we not talk about him?" She asked with a short eye roll.

His eyes dart around the park warily for a moment.

"What did you need?"

"Did you have David Rosen framed for murder? No offense."

"None taken, why would I have David Rosen framed for murder?"

"To put Defiance to bed once and for all,"

"I can't say it's the worst idea I ever heard but no-"

"No!?"

"No Defiance is over, Liv. It died with Verna." He said as a matter of fact.

She then sighed heavily before taking a much needed sip of coffee, another sigh escaped her lips as the bitterness nipped at her tongue and the caffeine began to rush through her system.

"I know things are bad between you and Fitz but I… look I'm sorry about the Christening by the way. I'll have you in and out in an hour or two; you'll barely have to see him." He explained softly.

With a barely noticeable shake of the head, her thoughts began to wonder as she took in the rather serene and mundane happenings in the park around her.

"What… What is it Liv?"

"He knows Cyrus… He _knows_,"

"Liv, there's no way-"

"He _knows_ Cyrus! He knows because Verna in her infinite wisdom thought it would be a good idea to confess one of her deepest and darkest sins on her death bed. He knows because when he turned into a complete ass to me at Verna's funeral mass I bit back at him and told him what actually happened – albeit it was the abridged version."

"You what!?" He asked incredulously.

"I haven't slept in ten months; I have our last conversation on a loop in my head. He _knows_ Cyrus. He knows because Verna told him half truths and I filled in the _damn_ blanks." She finished with a snarl.

It was then Cyrus began to run his hands roughly through his hair before tugging harshly on his left ear, his eyes wide with shock.

"My god, well that explains the massive change with him this past year. Look… my minute is up. I got to go but are you-"

"I'm fine… I'll be fine,"

With a heavy defeated sigh, Cyrus then began to take his leave.

"Cyrus,"

"Yeah,"

"Defiance will never be over,"

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The quiet of the Oval was a balm to his ever chaotic mind. Thoughts were constantly racing through his head nowadays. It was rare that he ever had a minute to just sit, to just be, to just get lost. These particular moments were rare, they were precious. As precious as they were, they were equally torturous. The quiet gave him time to think, to focus on his Livie and where it all went wrong.

It was the shrill ring of his cheap little slider phone in black that pulled him from his musings.

"Captain,"

"Mister President, surveillance has continued as requested. The package has been passed off to Agent Stanton; it should be with you within the next ten minutes."

"Thank you Captain, that'll be all" and with that he ended the phone call.

It was exactly six and half minutes later that Agent Tomas Stanton entered the Oval and turned over a thickly filled manila envelope.

"Talk to me,"

"Her daily routine hasn't varied for the past ten months, it's always the same. Up at 0400 hours, at the pool by 0600 hours, she then doesn't leave until 0800 hours. She then returns home and is in the office by 0900 hours. She then spends her days working, doing nothing but work. Her locations vary from day to day but most days she is in office. Exact locales for each day have been listed as requested."

"Thank you, Tom."

"You're welcome, Mister President." Tom then removed himself from the room.

With a heavy sigh, he began to pull the intelligence from the envelope, nothing but sheets of paper filled with observations about her daily activities accompanied by large glossy photographs. This is what he had been reduced to in order to have some semblance of an idea as to what was going on in her life.

At first he had tried calling, however after three months of her not answering he had finally given up and requested constant round the clock surveillance. Olivia hadn't made a move in the past seven months without him knowing about it. He knew he was desperate but he was past caring. There was only one person he truly trusted in this world and she wouldn't even acknowledge his existence let alone speak to him.

Desperation is the raw material of drastic change; that was something he understood all too well.

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The holy man's words were lost in the din. He couldn't take his eyes away from her, nor did he want to. He knew just by looking at her that the first moment she could slip away, she was going to bolt. That was something he couldn't allow to happen.

That was how he found himself chasing her down a White House corridor in the Residence. The steady clip at which she was walking soon began to speed up into a near full on run. It was then he decided propriety be damned and quickened his pace as well. He then lashed out and grabbed her arm before he dragged her into a nearby technical closet.

Without a word he pushed her into a nearby wall and pressed his lips to her in a desperate attempt to get as close to her as possible. For a brief moment she melted against his embrace before tiny hands began to push violently against his chest followed quickly by a sharp slap to the side of his face.

It was enough to cause him to pause.

Eyes wide both near tears their breath quick and erratic it was another beat before she was in his arms again. His touch was rough and raw; there wasn't enough breath between the two of them before he had her back in his arms, her back to his front. A quiet brief sigh as he filled her, the brief peace that came with it shattered as they began to move. His hands moved along her body unable to find a place to settle. Each touch, each taste was more desperate than the last as she allowed him complete control. She finally allowed herself to collapse in his arms as he brought them both over the edge.

In the moments after the only thing that could be heard was their heavy slowing breaths.

"Livie," he whispered quietly as he slipped from inside her.

"What," she whispered as she turned his embrace.

He was thankfully that she had so far made no move to remove herself from his arms.

"Liv-"

"This was a mistake," she said as she finally extracted herself from his embrace.

"No, Liv we need to talk. We need to talk about this, about everything,"

"There's nothing left to say,"

"Livie, I'm sorry… I am so sorry about-"

"Stop, just stop! What you did that day- that was betrayal Fitzgerald. I am not ready to talk to you; I may never be ready to talk to you. What happened just now was a mistake, one we need to not make again."

She then quickly gathered her things and shot out the door before he could even make a move to follow her.

A frustrated roar escaped his lips as he slammed his fist into the wall nearest to him.

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The burn was back.

The feeling brought on a delicious sensation as it settled in his chest.

He was pulled from the haze and the burn at the feeling of a woman's hands on his body, but not the hands he wanted to be touching him. He knew he had said no and had asked the hands to stop but for some reason they just wouldn't. It was then he felt something snap inside his chest and he heard glass shatter as amber liquid began to mix with the water that was cascading toward the drain.

His eyes began to take in the scene; he looked around completely lost before he removed himself from the shower listlessly.

He then paused briefly at the door to the bedroom.

"Don't touch me again Mellie,"

**End Two  
**

_Oh my goodness, I am so mean to our poor POTUS. He did Olivia dirty in my opinion so I'm gonna make him work for it in my world. _


	3. Three

_Ye of the little faith, to one reviewer saying that Olivia is perfect; my Olivia is far from perfect. Just give it a minute. Although I will say that I always wished Olivia hadn't agreed to Defiance, most if not all of her other sins will remain intact as the story moves along – I shall say no more. _

Three

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New. Different. Exciting. Some of the prettiest eyes she ever did see, a charming smile, he was also funny as hell – and then there were the butterflies… there was no denying the slight flutter of butterflies – but at the end of the day he still wasn't Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III.

"I'm a Navy man, Navy men do not give up," he said with a smile.

"Mmmm, neither do I… and Navy men are dangerous – so that is _not_ a point in your favor,"

"Huh, duly noted. However, I like a challenge."

"Good night, Captain… Jake," with that she gathered her things and left.

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It was late, the quiet of the Oval a cold comfort but a comfort none the less. His contact and Olivia's shadow had just left. He didn't like lying particularly but there was no need for Captain Ballard to know that his interest in _THE_ Olivia Pope was anything but professional. However, he did have cause for concern; Captain Ballard's unique interest was quickly becoming apparent to him. It gave him pause, his Livie was attractive as hell, he'd be a fool to think he'd be the only man that would notice and it seemed that the Captain was no longer as detached as he ought to be – but he had no proof.

A quick decision and phone call later, Secret Service Agent Tomas Stanton was making his way into the Oval.

"Sir,"

"There are some… concerns, red flags surrounding Captain Ballard and his surveillance. I need someone on both him and Olivia and I need it done now."

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Wine. Popcorn. BNC constantly on a low hum in the background. The perfect night in.

"Can't you send someone else to the Caldwell Gala? Mellie, the Vice President, the Secretary of Agriculture, anyone!?" She asked desperately.

"I didn't even know about it, I had no idea he was even going."

"You're kidding me,"

"I'm completely out of the loop Liv, and it's not the knife in the back that's upsetting to me. It's the size of the knife in my back, the enormous knife being stabbed over and over and ov-"

"Cyrus!"

"She's got him, he leans on her, and he's her guy now!"

"Maybe that's how it should be, she's his wife, and she's the mother of his children."

A look of incredulous disbelief fell over his face.

"This is _Mellie_ we're talking about! However you feel about Fitz, whatever happened – leaving him to Mellie that is low Liv."

"Cyrus…"

"I… I know – no I don't know, what really happened between you two. As much as I am loathe to admit it, looking back now – you two were always, _always_ in sync."

"Cyrus," she said as she flopped down onto the sofa.

"No, Liv – c'mon what really happened? I swear if you tell anyone I said this, I'll deny, deny but right now I am not Cyrus Rutherford Beene, political monster – I'm your friend, what the hell went down?"

After a shot of liquid courage the floodgates opened, she then laid it all out on the table everything from Verna's funeral mass to their encounter following Ella's christening.

"Liv – this can't continue, it's been nearly a year. The two of you, you're going to end up killing yourselves over this. He is always angry now, if it's not one thing it's another. He… leaning on Mellie isn't healthy. You know Mellie is only ever out for Mellie, the term husband means very little to that woman unless it's to further her own agenda. You and I both know that all too well."

"Cyrus-"

"No! Liv, you two are… you two are my wayward beloved and most favored children," he said with a chuckle.

A self deprecating laugh escaped her lips in response.

"I... I love you both. You two are both brilliant and equally scary in your own rights. Put the two of you together and well – it's astounding. In another life, the two of you – the two of you on paper are amazing and in reality you both blow the status quo out of the water. God the optics, the optics of it all would be phenomenal."

"Cy,"

"Liv, this _isn't_ another reality or another life. This is it kid. Mellie _is_ a reality, Fitz _is_ the President of the United States and you… you are your brilliant self and you _need_ to talk to him. The reason I know this is because I _know_ the two of you. I just know that you two are both stubborn as hell and probably hurt as hell and when the two of you have been in a room together at any point in the past year one of you has been ready to bolt."

Tears began to fill her eyes as she let out a heavy defeated sigh.

"Liv if you ever tell anyone about any of this I will again deny, deny but you two. You have _got_ to talk. He can't do this without you. Hell I can't do this without you for that very same reason. I almost don't know who I am without him. I don't know what to do with my hands and he doesn't know what to do without you. She… she is shoving me out the damn door. I can't figure out how to fight her."

"Let Mellie be, that's how you fight her. Don't over think it, just let Mellie be. Let Mellie do what Mellie is going to do, when it comes to Fitz Mellie is her own worst enemy. Eventually she's going to go too far and cross him and you just need to be there when she does."

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That smile.

That laugh.

The way her eyes were lighting up.

Who in the hell was she talking to!?

Those very thoughts were running through his mind in a vicious loop. He currently was not doing well having to glad hand with a very fake smile plastered on his face. She was here; she was alone as was he. It mattered very little to him that she was handling the younger Caldwell, one look at the pretty blonde on the man's arm it was clear things were well in hand.

They _would_ talk tonight.

It was why he was hovering at the top of the garden's stone steps as he watched the younger Caldwell run off after Olivia's very impassioned speech about his affair with his brother's wife.

"It's time we both started to breathe again Livie,"

She whirled around in shock, her eyes wide.

"It's time we both started to breathe again Liv, but don't you dare belittle what we had, what we have. A pile of dirty and secrets and lies – is that what you truly think about us? God, I hope not."

"Fitz," she shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

"We _need_ to talk, there is a lot that both of us need to say."

"I agree,"

"You do?"

"Yes,"

"Okay… I somehow thought getting you to agree to this would be more difficult."

"But not here,"

"Ah there it is."

"No I agree, we do need to talk but this is not the place. Too many potential ears," she said with a smile.

"Fair enough," as he looked around the garden helplessly.

"I have to get back inside, but… I will call you so we can figure this – whatever this is out." She said as she slowly made her way up the steps and stopped in front of him, barely an arm's length away.

"Promise?" He asked his eyes wary.

"Promise," she said softly before walking away.

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The phone had barely gotten through one ring before she heard the person at the other end connect.

"Jake,"

"Mmmm and to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"This… this isn't a good idea. I just, I think I just needed to make you aware of that."

"Olivia, as I said before. I'm a Navy man, Navy men don't give up." With that he ended the call.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she dropped her head to her desk in defeat.

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The burn was back again, although softer and not as intense.

"You still watching her?"

"Of course, but I have to tell you I don't have any more information than I gave you the other day."

"Who is the guy?"

"What?"

"There's a guy, isn't there? She's seeing someone, someone new."

"Look-"

"Who is the guy?"

The smile curling on Ballard's lips gave him all the information he needed to know, but he still wanted concrete proof.

"So this _is_ personal, look Fitz-"

"I'm your Commander in Chief, so it's Mister President and I need an answer."

Another pause and clench of the jaw, all very noticeable tells.

"Mister President, there is no guy. She's not seeing anyone."

"Hm, that'll be all." He then turned his back and waited for the click of the door.

It was barely a beat later when he once again summoned a Tom Stanton to the Oval.

"Where the hell are we on that project I asked you to take on?"

"We're still in the preliminary stages Sir, Captain Ballard is not an easy man to follow without him being aware of said surveillance. However we're on it and should have something for you within the next week."

**End Three**

_We're getting there, I swear! I'm interested to know what people think of my POTUS being able to sniff Jake out – That was a major fail on the show, Fitz isn't a stupid man. He's a Rhodes Scholar, was the governor of a major state and is now the POTUS. Fitz is many things but stupid isn't one of them_.

_Oh and does anyone know if the show ever gave Fitz a SS handle, like his codename? Also did __Olivia receive a codename. She should have gotten one all things considered. If not, anyone have suggestions?_

If you have NOT seen this, please take a look. It is hilarious. Any Olitz fan should get a good giggle

youtu . be / SZ1Fv2unEho


	4. Four

_We're finally are starting to jump off the script people. I'm so nervous!_

Four

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It was the middle of the night. The sun had since long set and still had quite awhile before it would rise again and she was _still_ working.

"Peregrine is on the move again!" He murmured softly into the device near his wrist.

"Holy hell, does that woman ever sleep?"

"Pull it together Mullhall; you want to run with the big dogs. You want to have your shot at guarding the Falcon one day – then here is where you prove yourself. Peregrine is even busier and does more running around in a single day than the Falcon believe it or not. If you can handle this, then you'll have my backing for the promotion. It's time to clean house with some upper agents anyway."

A long suffering grunt of acknowledgement was all he received in return.

Agent Tomas Stanton meant what he said though; Agent Patrick Mullhall was a fantastic agent, five years his junior but sharp as a tack. He had what it would take to guard the President of the United States but the upper echelons of the Secret Service were saturated with 'company men'. Men who had gotten to their position and had gotten just a little too comfortable, men who had forgotten what their core duties were.

Hal Rimbeau was sadly one of those men. His loyalty needed to be solely to the President of the United States and while Tom had no doubt that he'd take a bullet for the man, he didn't know how to separate his own personal views from his professional life. Hal had no business consorting with the First Lady the way he did on a regular basis. Hal thought he was being discreet when he reported to the woman but he was anything but. Tom being the senior agent was always well aware of Hal's whereabouts, including when he would slip off to brief the First Lady.

Although there was an entire team of Secret Service Agents devoted to protecting the President, there was always a pair that became a favorite. It just so happened that this time around Tom became this President's favorite. Little did he know that half of his favored team was being rather disloyal, it was something Tom had approached his superiors about quietly. In turn he was given the order to scout and train another agent quietly as a replacement. The swap would need to be quiet and done as seamlessly as possible.

Tom felt little to no remorse about his deception when it came to replacing Hal. There were two core objectives to this job, keep the President safe and guard his secrets above all else. Hal was failing miserably with the latter. Another balm to his conscience was simply that the First Lady was a self-serving shrew. Women like Millicent Grant often acted as though they were better and more important than those around them. Mrs. Grant would speak rather freely when she believed she was _alone_ or as alone as she could get surrounded by agents.

Concern for the President's safety also came in to play as well. Mellie Grant could easily become a credible threat as a woman scorned. Of course none of this seemed to ever cross Agent Hal Rimbeau's mind.

"What the hell is going on, it's a full media blitz out here?" Mullhall asked.

"Hold your position; this is the home of Sarah Stanner – new client from the looks of things if the news is anything to go by. Get ready to watch the Peregrine in action."

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The rhythmic click of her heels as they echoed through the parking garage was all that could be heard as she hurried toward her car, her mobile pressed to her ear.

"Cyrus, where are you right now?"

"Liv, where the hell do you think I am? Trapped in this big white building for at least another two hours."

"Perfect, I need to come see you. I have something that might be of value but… Fitz and I haven't had a chance to talk yet. I don't want to overstep but – I really think this could help."

"Of course, Liv you know you're always welcome here. You still have your hard pass don't you?"

"Yeah I just… damn, Cy that's the other line. I got to go but I'll try to swing by tonight if not tomorrow. Just… just don't move on anything yet."

"Wait Liv-"

The sound of the dial tone rang in his ears.

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My friend.

My child.

My daughter.

My huge pain the ass.

Pick up the phone!

"Liv!"

"What,"

"Oh thank god! You on this?"

"I'm on this,"

"Good, because it's not true,"

"Hmm then why do I hear you pacing?"

"We stand behind him, we stand behind his character. Randal is a judicial genius, Liv. One of the finest of our generation, he deserves to sit on the highest court in the land. I am telling you it's not true."

"He's not my client, Cy. She is,"

"I am asking you to shut this down, have Stanner deny it."

"I will do whatever is in the best interest of my client,"

"Liv, Olivia you are killing me here – please, we need this."

"Cy, you know how this works if, _if_ it happened. A flat denial will merely fan the damn flames."

"Liv… just try not to set this thing alight, please."

"I will do my best, goodbye Cyrus."

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Tonight. For one night only, it was the knock down drag out grudge match of the century. Cyrus Rutherford Beene versus Millicent Grant, it was a race to see who could get into the Oval first.

"I need to see the President, like right now."

"I'm sorry, he's not – he doesn't want to be disturbed." Lauren Wellman tried to explain sheepishly.

"Who is he in there with?"

"I can't say,"

"Lauren I hired you, handpicked you to be the person who sits at this desk and answers this phone. I did that, Lauren. I chose you, you owe me and you're going to let me in there."

"Mister Beene I can't, not until he gives me-"

"Not until his wife comes in with his beautiful baby boy." Mellie cut in.

"I need to see him _now_!"

With that Lauren finally gave up and poked her head into the Oval.

"Mister Beene and the First Lady are both here to see you sir,"

"Cyrus!"

K.O. Knockout – and the crowd goes wild for a Mister Cyrus Rutherford Beene!

"What is it?"

"There's a story on Murray Randal, it's a problem."

"What do you mean there's a problem, we vetted him extensively."

"It's just an old affair, it'll blow over in a single news cycle then he'll be confirmed as planned."

"I have American Citizens who are about to get their heads chopped off by terrorists, Cyrus. You told me this guy was clean and I do not need this now."

"Sir,"

"Just fix it,"

"It's being… _handled_ sir,"

A look of disbelief and a hollow laugh escaped his lips.

"_She's_ on this?"

"In a matter of speaking sir,"

"Cy!"

"The woman from the alleged affair, a Sarah Stanner – Liv is handling her."

"One news cycle Cy, that's all we can spare."

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A single chime and it began.

"Take a breath,"

"Don't you _dare_ tell me to-"

"I will not be responsible for an untimely heart attack – take a breath!"

"Do you have any idea what we're up against, between the Supreme Court nomination and the hostage crisis the American public is willing to forgive one snafu a term, they don't forgive two."

"That is not what this is about,"

"I just got back in the inner circle Liv, he's listening again and all I asked you for was a simple _denial_."

"Murray Randal is not my client; the President is not my client. Besides Cy, we covered this last night. If the affair had actually happened we both know _damn_ well a simple denial wasn't going to make this mess go away, and guess what – it happened."

"Damn Olivia!"

"Goodbye Cy,"

"We're gonna hit you back, Liv. We're gonna hit you back hard!"

"Cyrus,"

"Yes,"

"Do your _best_!"

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Something Mellie this way comes. The First Lady of the United States had what it took to easily clear a room.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That he is calling _her_ again, that he is _sleeping_ with her _again_! I've seen his real schedule, I know he's blocking off time late at night and I know that can only mean one thing-"

"I – I don't have time to listen to this because I'm back in his good graces Mellie, so where your husband is dipping his signing pen these days isn't my primary concern."

"You know as well as I do that once Olivia gets her claws in him again it will be back to _divorce_ and taking us all down."

"Here's what I know, I know that he hasn't mentioned the word divorce in almost a year. I know that getting involved in your messy little love triangle has _never_ gotten me anywhere. I know that those two have yet to exchange a civil word with one another in nearly a year and I also know that I just saved him a _major_ public embarrassment – which after the hostage crisis and your unfortunate conference call fiasco means that while you maybe wandering out in the White House version of a Siberian work camp I'm curled up by the fire inside. Now if you'll excuse me the President is waiting – for me." He finished with a smirk.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

It was noon and the low hum of chatter could be heard even all the way up at the house as the reporters continued to hover around the outside of the Randal home for their mid-day news casts.

"Cyrus? Calling to yell at me again?"

"Hi, Hello, How are you? And actually no, you said not to move on anything and since this was _before_ the Randal/Stanner thing broke I'm guessing it had to do with the hostages. What have you got Liv?"

"Ah damn, look it's not something that can be done over the phone and you're right it is. This damn case has tied both of us up. Look I will swing by tonight – no matter what, but it's a face to face type of deal."

"Okay call me,"

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Cyrus had been dreading this particular meeting in the Oval for at least the last hour. After nearly breaking his neck to garner support for the judge it all fell apart after that damn retired security guard and CCTV footage surfaced.

"Where are we at with Randal?"

"After the hotel romp in Mexico he has almost no support, there's no sense in trying to ram it through. He's declining first thing in the morning. I'm having Scotty draft a statement."

"Who else do we have on deck?"

After running through a litany of names and coming up with no one as good, a final sense of defeat settled into the atmosphere.

"I need a minute Cyrus,"

"Sir-"

"I need a _minute_!"

Once again the burn was back and with it came indecision.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

"Cyrus, just give me-"

"It's not Cyrus,"

As his voice came over the line, her breath caught in her throat. It had been months, months since he had initiated any type of contact beyond their very brief run-in at the Caldwell fundraiser. It was jarring to say the least.

"I wish you had just been honest with me,"

"I already told you I made a mistake,"

"I don't mean about Defiance,"

"What do you mean?"

"Fitz, what do you mean?" She asked again after a pregnant pause.

"I'm ruined – you ruined me,"

"You! I – you know what, enough of this!"

The call ended abruptly before she gathered her things, with a quick excuse to Abby and Harrison that she would return within two hours and to hold down the fort she was in her car and driving toward a building she had done her best to avoid in the past year. With barely a nod to the night guard she flashed her hard pass and made her way into the White House.

Heels left a steady staccato in her wake as she made her way down the fairly deserted halls toward the Oval, only stopping long enough to get Lauren to confirm that _he_ was inside and alone.

"_Enough_ of this! You call me tonight acting as if I'm not on your side – I am forever by your side! I'm sorry your Supreme Court nominee was dirty and I'm sorry that after you basically called me a whore that I wasn't ready to talk to you but damn it to hell Fitz – at the end of the day I am _always_ on your side."

"Liv,"

"No you don't get to talk right now because honestly now is _not_ the time for us to have this conversation but I would never do you dirty Fitz, not really. Randal was dirty and not my client, so I'm not sorry about the way I handled that and honestly its better it came out now _before_ he was confirmed. I basically said this to Cyrus and you know it to be true too."

"Let's not talk about that because right now I have no nominee and all this garbage on top of the hostage crisis I'm about ready to snap."

"Actually, that's why I'm here. I have something that might be the key to ending it all. I was supposed to leave it with Cyrus but – well you called and here I am."

It was then she stepped up to the Resolute Desk and dropped the manila folder on top.

"Liv, where the hell did you get these?"

"I can't say, I'm sorry but I truly can't."

"Livie it's serious as all hell that you got your hands on these."

"I know but – well you know me, I'm hoping that's enough for you to trust me when I say that I can't say how I got a hold of them, at least not yet."

"Liv this is – this is amazing. I need to move on this and I need to do it now but we _still_ need to talk."

"We do but right now – well right now you need to go be the man I voted for." She said, already making her way toward the door.

"Livie, you didn't need to do this. You could have kept this to yourself or hell got it to me using a go between… why?"

She then stopped and turned to fully face him, her hand already on the door handle.

"What's that saying? Ride or die, baby." She said with a small smirk before she slipped out of the Oval.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

"Peregrine is in the nest,"

**End Four**

_Falcon, thank you for that! I hope that you guys like the Secret Service handle I chose for Olivia. Peregrines are a type of falcon that is known to mate for life. I'll be so annoyed if Olivia is given one on the show because I just know it'll be different than the one I picked lol._


	5. Five

_I'm back, wow a long four-ish days. We're about to mess with the Scandal time-line a little bit. Get ready!_

Five

The burn was slow and steady, not at all unpleasant. However frustration was beginning to slowly set in. Tom and his boys were struggling to gather the intelligence he needed in order to pin the good Captain into a corner. Jake was always so careful in his movements, too careful. There was more training there, way more than even a special ops career military man would ever receive. The discovery that he had set up surveillance in his own home was jarring to say the least. It was just another oddity and obstacle to add to the every growing list surrounding Captain Jake Ballard.

Another layer of complexity to add to the cluster-fuck of a situation he now found himself in wasn't helping matters either, when it came to one Olivia Pope. While both had agreed multiple times now to sit down and talk, it still had yet to happen. The more time dragged, the more he feared she would continue to slip away from him. One stupid decision nearly a year ago could potentially cost him his forever, his endgame. He wasn't stupid – far from it. He could smell the blood in the water. Captain Ballard might be the first shark circling but he certainly wouldn't be the last.

His skin began to crawl as he recalled the few agonizing months she spent with Edison Davis. Once he realized the two had somehow ended up back together, probably in some half hearted attempt to move past their relationship he had pulled back on the surveillance. However not before he got a firsthand look at the two of them beginning to forge a life together. What was it Cyrus had said? That he was ticking. He knew it too. When it came to Olivia Carolyn Pope, reason usually flew out the window.

He'd be damned if Captain Jake Ballard was going to make off with what was his. He would see the good Captain dead first.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

A dull gray light cut through the empty space of the old abandoned industrial building in a mix of speckled patterns. The slow and steady drip of water as it hit concrete began to mix with the dual footsteps making their way through the space.

"Captain Ballard seems to have been compromised," said in a soft distinctly female voice.

"Seems – that is not a word that I'm comfortable with Agent. You either know or you don't. Compromised how exactly is another aspect you need to elaborate on. I only ever want to be presented with the full picture. If you can't give that to me, then perhaps it's time I found someone who will." Irritation colored a deep rumbling voice.

"Captain Ballard's mission objectives were clear; he was to observe subject A from afar, to follow subject A's movements and to take photographic evidence as needed. His interactions with subject B were to be brief and limited but ultimately he was supposed to become a permanent fixture in Subject B's circle. He's gone off the script sir; Captain Ballard has initiated contact with Subject A on multiple occasions. According to video footage retrieved from his residence, it would appear he has developed some odd sort of attachment to Subject A. This… fascination with Subject A is causing him to not only lie to Subject B but to distance himself, directly defying orders."

Dark eyes began to take in the abandoned, empty and rather decrepit space – indecision set on his face. It would be a shame to lose an operative as bright and as resourceful as Captain Jacob Ballard, although at the end of the day the captain was very much replaceable.

"Sir," the female asked softly.

It was then he realized he had been quiet for far too long.

"Captain Jacob Ballard has become a problem, a liability. Handle it." He said with a decisive nod before walking briskly through the building and out into the rising sunlight.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

A steady thumping beat resonated through the space as she lazed on the sofa with a glass of red in her hand. It was rare that she indulged in a guilty pleasure such as this. Dressed in a pair of nude cotton boy shorts and camisole, her hair hung down her back in their natural curls fresh from her shower. The music helped to block out the thoughts that seemed to constantly race through her head these days. It was because of this she didn't hear the footsteps that were quickly coming up behind her.

She then let out a screech as a hand clad in dark black gloves wrapped around her head from behind to cover her mouth. Eyes wide she reached back to fight off her attacker but it was useless as she was dragged over the back of the sofa and toward her front door. However, both she and her attacker paused at the sight of the door knob rattling.

The door then popped open, before she could blink there was another loud bang and the strong heavy arms that had been holding her tightly just moments before fell from her body. Without a thought she turned her back to the intruder and caught sight of a very dead Captain Ballard staring up at her eyes wide, a single shot to the head with blood beginning to leak from said bullet wound.

Wide eyed she turned back toward the intruder who was now cautiously making their way toward her. Without a thought she made to run, the woman who had just put a bullet into Captain Ballard lunged for her in response. The good captain's body caused her to take a misstep and her head crashed into a nearby bookcase as she tumbled to the floor. However, before she could pick up her body up from the floor, two more loud bangs followed by a dull thud cut through the music that was still thumping in the background.

As her vision began to blur and consciousness began to slip away, a single face came into focus.

"Tom,"

**End Five**

_Short I know … but we had to get through that bit and… What the hell just happened!? My Fitz is a little dark – but let's be honest. Fitz is a bit dark. He killed Verna and he's quick to anger it's usually just never directed at Olivia. She is the only one he seems to be able to rein it in with. Defiance almost being the only exception to that rule, so yeah – I'm going there. Don't worry he's not going to go all 'Huck' on everyone lol_.


	6. Six

_I probably should have said this from the start; this is a reworking of events we've seen on the show that will eventually spin-off into a story of its own making. If you're the type of person who doesn't have the patience to go through a brief retelling and adjustments, then this probably isn't the story for you. For those of you who do have the patience – you will be rewarded. _

Six

"Shit, how is it that guarding the President's woman appears to be more stressful and hazardous to my health than guarding the man himself?"

"Mullhall not now, we've got to get Ms. Pope medical attention and scrub this. What just happened here – never happened. Clarke and Johnson, you two are here with Mullhall, get those two bodies up and out. Do NOT dispose of them, we may need them later. Then clean it and be sure to get everything and I mean everything! Cairns you're with me, hospital now." Tom barked out orders as he gently lifted Olivia into his arms.

Agent Tom Stanton stoically moved toward the lift with Olivia secured safely in his arms. When Mullhall reported catching sight of Ballard headed into Olivia's residence through a back entrance he knew the time for distance had ended. It was time to engage, consequences be damned. What no one had counted on was the petite little red head that had entered the building through the front entrance. The assumption being made she was there for another resident. He and his team were already on the move and unknowingly headed toward what had the potential to be a catastrophe.

The President was reckless as all hell when it came to the woman in his arms. The only time he could remember him ever running on anything that could be called a clear and level head were the first few months of his administration when Olivia Pope was still on staff as his communications director.

"Cairns we need to get Ms. Pope seen to, be sure to remind Clarke to take care of the building's CCTV footage, I don't want any evidence of that woman or us coming and going. I don't believe the back entrance has any type of video, but have him double check to be sure. He needs to make sure to handle the building's footage and any third party cameras that might be in the area. It needs to be as if none of us were ever there tonight." He finished, before carefully getting out of the car and making his way into James Madison Memorial.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

A quick glance at the time told him all he needed to know.

Carney was dead.

Now the question remained, had Carney been successful before being terminated.

"Sir,"

He gave a short nod in response.

"Agent Carney has expired,"

"I figured as much, what happened?"

"Agent Carney entered the residence and was able to terminate the target, Captain Jacob Ballard. However subduing Ms. Pope was another matter, it was at this time the Secret Service arrived on the scene and she was shot twice in the head by Secret Service Agent Tomas Stanton."

"What of Ms. Pope?"

"She was injured; at the time she was removed from the residence she appeared to be unconscious. Agents Tomas Stanton and Richard Cairns escorted her to James Madison Memorial while the rest of Stanton's team stayed behind to scrub the scene."

"Good, that lot knows what they're doing. That will save us from having to send a team into to do it. You're dismissed."

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

"She's not here, Boss – Something major must have gone down, and her place is crawling with Secret Service Agents." He murmured softly.

A hum of acknowledgement escaped the shadow's lips before he ducked his head and faded back into the night.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

The dim light of the room was doing nothing to help the dull throb that continued to pulse at the front of his skull. Migraines were par for the course for him at this point. The stress of his job was usually through the roof and it didn't help that his home life was currently non-existent. His husband had basically kicked him out of the house; it had been nearly a month since he'd been exiled. There was sadly nothing to be done about it though. As much as he bitched and moaned about his husband, James and baby Ella – the two of them were truly his whole world.

He was at a complete loss as to what to do. James couldn't seem to handle the fact that his husband really was the _monster_ he always claimed to be. It was a devastating blow. Cyrus knew in his heart of hearts that James could murder a man and his immediate reaction would be to help the man hide the damn body but at the first sign of trouble, James had cast him out.

It was the chime of his phone that pulled him from his melancholy musings.

"Cyrus Beene," he murmured, his eyes still closed against the soft glow of the lamp.

"Cyrus,"

Blue eyes shot open at the sound of the voice coming over the line.

"Rowan,"

"Still at work I see, you really need to talk to that man of yours. It's a sin you can't even go home to that sweet baby, Ella at the end of a hard and stressful day."

"Sir," Cyrus trailed off, the question clear in his voice.

"We're always watching Cyrus," he said with a chuckle.

"Sir, I'm sure you didn't call to talk about my home life."

"Indeed I did not – your man Charlie. He's dead to you now. If he should contact you again you do not know who or what he is. It's time Charlie boy made his way home and that's never going to happen if he happens to have another place to rest his hat. So it's over, are we clear?"

"Crystal sir,"

"Wonderful,"

A soft click soon followed, indicating the end of the call.

Cyrus then let out a whoosh of air; he hadn't realized he'd been holding in.

That man never failed to set him on edge, which was a task onto itself. Cyrus Beene did not scare easily. 'Rowan' was a beast when it came to anything having to do with the Republic; there was nothing that man wouldn't do to protect it. Something that even set Cyrus's cold and calculating heart on edge, it was rare for the man to contact him. It was unnerving to say the least that this had to be at least the fourth time he'd heard from the man in a three month period.

Something big was brewing beneath the surface that much was clear.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Agent Tom Stanton let out a heavy sigh as he looked down at his charge, passed out in the hospital bed. It had taken some doing but he managed to secure her a private room, with an accompanying private waiting room in a more remote area of the hospital, one of their few VIP suites. He knew the moment the President was made aware of her condition he would be camped out here until she was cleared for release.

It was what would come next that had him hesitant.

If he were to contact the President directly, the man would want to be briefed immediately. Which he knew damn well wouldn't be wise – President Grant was sure to lose it once he found out that an attempt had been made on Olivia's life and the assailant had actually gotten close enough to put his hands on her. His ass was already going to be in a sling for that one – that was not something he wanted to get into over the phone. However, there was the flip side of things, if President wasn't informed until his arrival at the hospital his ire might spike at not being informed about the situation immediately.

The agent was screwed any way he looked at it.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

"Mister President there's a situation."

**End Six**

_Stuff is happening! Papa Pope has popped up and he's been in contact with Cyrus over the past three months – what's up with that!?_


	7. Seven

_Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. Merry Christmas Eve to those of you on the East Coast! Lots of Olitz goodness in this one – enjoy!_

Seven

_He was about ready to crawl out of his skin; the constant click of keys, the rustling of papers, the televisions running at a constant clip as a low hum in the background. It was all pushing on his last nerve. She was so close and yet so far, so close that he could just reach out and touch her and yet – he couldn't. Every nerve in his body set on edge from their brief touch the night before. It made his skin itch, his head swim and vision blur. _

_There was a poor attempt at conversation before she was off and running from him again – he couldn't take it anymore. _

"_I'm married-"_

"_I know!"_

"_I'm running for president, I can't"_

"_I know! I don't want you to."_

"_But – just… stand here with me, for one minute. Let's not go back in there or talk or think. For one minute we just stand here and I'm not the candidate and you're not the campaign fixer. We're just us. One minute, for one minute… just stand here with me." He pleaded softly. _

_A pause, followed by a heavy sigh. _

"_One minute,"_

_15 seconds – Her defenses began to fall away._

_30 seconds – She knew she had begun to fall._

_45 seconds – Every reason as to why not, turned into every reason as to why._

_Just before she was completely lost, the door opened and light began to flood the space surrounding the pair. _

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

She groaned softly as light began to flood her vision, her lashes fluttered weakly.

"Ms. Pope, are you alright? How are you feeling?"

Her eyes continued to blink rapidly as her tongue shot out to lick at her dry lips.

"Tom," she rasped softly.

"You have some scrapes and bruising as well as a concussion. They want to keep you here overnight for observation. _He_ is on his way up, should be here within in the next minute or two."

It was then she caught sight of two large men clad in suits and long dark coats who were headed directly toward her room. Eyes wide, she felt her body begin to shake slightly when Fitz appeared and slowly made his way into her room.

"Thank you, Tom. We'll be speaking." Fitz said, his eyes never leaving Olivia's prone form.

The world then fell away, all he could see was his precious Olivia, his sweet baby curled up in a hospital bed looking impossibly small. In the distance he could hear his men leave the room and the door close behind them with a soft click. With a tentative hand he reached out to gently touch her cheek and his heart broke as she shied away from his touch.

"Hi," he whispered.

His resolve broke when her lower lip began to tremble and her body began to curl in on itself. He then lowered himself onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her form before nuzzling into her neck. It wasn't a beat later when her arms came up around him, grasping at him desperately her entire body trembling. With one last squeeze he leaned back to look into her eyes, his right hand once again moving up to cradle the side of her face.

"You here," she whispered.

A small smile curled on his lips and he leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her forehead.

"I'm here," he said softly, his lips brushing her brow lightly.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she collapsed fully back onto the bed.

"You need to rest; there will be plenty of time to talk later. Sleep sweet baby." He said softly as the fingers of his right hand gently stroked her neck, his left busy cradling one of her tiny hands.

He continued to sit with her as she fought off her exhaustion but he knew it would be a losing battle and within the next minute her eyes had fluttered shut and breathing began to even out. Another smile curled on his lips as he gently ran his fingers through her hair before he made careful movements to get up from the bed, not wanting to disturb her.

As soon as his back was to her, the smile fell from his lips and his eyes became hard.

What the hell had happened and where the fuck was her detail?

He then stepped from the room with a soft click.

"Tom, talk to me – what happened?"

"It's my fault sir. I stupidly misjudged-"

"Stop, I don't want to hear that. Just start from the beginning. We'll go from there."

"Full detail on both Peregrine and Snoop as requested sir. There was nothing amiss almost until it was all happening. Peregrine went about her day as normal, the only anomaly was when she came home instead of her normal routine of wine, popcorn and BNC it was wine, popcorn and some very loud music. Snoop was a different story. He was strung out all day, constantly looking around as if waiting for someone or something to pop out at him. It seemed his worries weren't all in his head. He was shot dead at the scene. Professional hit but they didn't make a move toward Peregrine, except in a poor attempt to subdue her. Of course that particular threat has also been neutralized."

"I don't like this. Ballard was clearly after more than what he was originally brought on for. I'm sick of this double agent bull. I want to know what the hell he had his hands in and why someone would want him dead for it. Tonight was too close of a call. I'm no longer content with just surveillance; she gets full detail from now on. I don't care what we need to do to make it happen."

"Sir, if she were to return to the nest detail wouldn't be a problem. Mister Beene is afforded full detail as your Chief of Staff. Ms. Pope would also easily be cleared as one of your top, trusted and most closely guarded advisors."

"Make it happen, she'll have no choice at this point. I'm sick of this nonsense. Olivia is coming home whether she likes it or not. She's resting quietly now, is there a place-"

"There's a private waiting area just off her room, sir"

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

It had already been a good two hours since he'd arrived at the hospital. He was now settled into what was quite possibly one of the most uncomfortable chairs ever created. However, he wasn't moving. One of the agent's sole duties tonight was to keep an eye on her as she slept. He was to be notified if her eyes so much as fluttered. A cup of bad bitter coffee and the financial times were his current and only company – not that he was complaining as he saw a thundering dragon make its way toward him.

"Fancy meeting you here,"

"You know what happens if a board nurse or an arrogant doctor tweets that the president, the same one that was shot in the head ten months ago is in the hospital in the middle of the night – markets panic, reporters swarm, DEFCON levels change!"

"Cats and dogs will finally get along,"

Fitz couldn't help the thrill of dark pleasure that ran through him at Cyrus's exasperated eye roll.

"Sir, you have no idea how much damage control this requires. The lies I've had to tell James Madison in order to replace their staff on this floor with military personnel who won't tell The New York Times that the President of the United States is here on a late night booty call."

"A booty call – Cyrus, really!? Livie was attacked and nearly killed tonight. I'm here; I'm staying here until Olivia is discharged because that is what you do when someone you love is in the hospital. You're welcome to wait here with me, run whatever kind of interference you think is best but I'm here." He said firmly.

A heavy sigh and shake of the head was all the reply Cyrus gave as he settled into a chair, adjacent to the president.

"Sir, I'm sorry to interrupt,"

"Tom,"

"One of her people, a Harrison Wright attempted to gain access to Ms. Pope – we blocked him per your orders. He did leave the premises but she did receive a phone call from him. It was brief but she seemed distressed afterward. I've sent a team to her offices to see if there's anything going on we need to be aware of."

"Good, is she still awake?"

"No sir, she's now sleeping."

"Thank you, Tom."

Once Tom had left, Cyrus couldn't help but sit forward.

"Sir, what's this about Olivia almost dying? What the hell is going on?"

Fitz was well aware that he had been freezing out his Chief of Staff for nearly the past year. The betrayal of Defiance and loss of Olivia were too fresh and raw but at the end of the day Cyrus Beene was _supposed_ to be the guard dog, the gatekeeper – what he wasn't supposed to be was the damn puppet master. That was something he was going to have to make abundantly clear if he allowed Cyrus back in.

"You've been out of the loop for a long while now, Cyrus. Mind you that's not an accusation, it's an observation and that's because I've worked at making sure that you were on the outside looking in."

"Sir,"

"Things have been changing and are going to keep changing Cyrus – probably at a very rapid pace for a little while. This isn't the time for anymore bull or back room deals. You're either Cyrus Rutherford Beene _MY_ Chief of Staff and on my side or… just simply _not_."

"Sir… I know it may not have always appeared as such but I am _always_ in your corner."

"There's too much to discuss here but to simplify, Olivia has been under my protection and surveillance for the past seven months. The guy I had initially brought in to watch her turned out to be dirty. While he's no longer an issue something bigger is going on, Tom and his team, are handling clean up and trying to dig deeper into what exactly is going on. Olivia will also be returning to the White House even if only in a consulting capacity after this whole debacle has settled down – no arguments."

"Of course sir, though I will admit I'm now left with even more questions than answers."

"I'm sure; it's why we'll discuss everything at length a little later. Now I want to check on Livie."

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Fitz woke with a start.

"Mister President, the doctor is here to see to Ms. Pope."

As the doctor made his way into the room Olivia began to wake up. This of course gave the star struck doctor a moment to gush over meeting the current sitting President of the United States. It wasn't long before the doctor gave the all clear for Olivia to go home. Fitz then followed the doctor to the door and asked Tom for the clothes he had requested for Olivia earlier.

"The clothing you came in with was a mess with blood and everything. I had Tom retrieve these for you."

"You can go," she said softly.

"You don't dismiss me."

"You're having me followed! Watched!"

"I love you."

"Stop saying that! You're having me watched! There is no way Tom and his guys could have shown up that way if you weren't watching me, god you probably figured out a way to get cameras into my apartment." She then caught the look on his face at her words.

"Oh my god, there are cameras in my apartment!? That's not love!"

"You have to understand Defiance and you leaving changed me – it changed me Livie."

"You – you think Defiance didn't change me? What you said, the things you said to me the day of Verna's funeral didn't change me!?"

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale one more time.

"Stop, we need to stop. You are recovering and I don't want to do this here. Let me take you home and then we can talk. We _need_ to talk Liv."

She then sucked her lower lip into her mouth and began to nibble on it nervously. Without a word she grabbed the clothing and headed for the bathroom to change. When she emerged wearing a pair of _lululemon_ still pants in navy topped with a thin long sleeve white thermal, she looked entirely too small and young. Her hair was a wild mass of natural curls that shined in the sunlight as shifted her weight nervously.

"Okay," she whispered.

"Okay?"

"Okay you can take me home and we can talk – but I have to make a stop first. That's not negotiable."

"Where?"

"My offices, I have to handle something with Huck."

"Fine, Tom will follow you up – that's the deal or I don't let you out of the car until we're back at your place."

She gave half hearted shrug in acknowledgment before moving toward the door, he then caught her around the waist before dropping his coat onto her shoulders and helping her slip her arms inside the sleeves.

He then pressed a soft kiss to her temple as he led her from the room.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Although she had been released nearly eight hours earlier she still felt weak and tired despite having slept off and on for most of the day. She was currently curled up at the end of her sofa snuggled into a rather large afghan with a cup of tea to her right and Fitz settled in at the other end of the sofa to her left.

"You fell out before we could even get in the door, Huck okay?"

"Uh yeah, Quinn and Harrison said they would make sure he made it home okay. Quinn also said she'd stay with him. I'll give them both a call a little later." She said softly.

"Good, I always liked Huck."

"What… what are you still doing here?"

"Olivia you were attacked and nearly killed, no way in hell was I running off as soon as you were released. We also still have yet to have our talk and we both know there's a lot to say – although I'm hesitant to get into anything that heavy right at this moment."

"You were having me followed."

"Yes,"

"Why?"

"Sweetheart, you left me. Finding out about Defiance was devastating but then you leaving - you _leaving_ after my misinformation about it. Well let's just say I didn't handle that well. I've said it to you before but you always seem to conveniently forget the fact that, you _own_ me Olivia. I'm _not_ sorry I decided to have you watched; you might have died last night if it wasn't for that. I _love_ you Olivia."

"That's… that's not normal, it's not-"

"Baby we are _not_ normal, we are _never_ going to be normal. Olivia it's time to face facts and stop playing games. No matter how I got here, I am the President of the United States. You are the formidable and astonishing Olivia Pope. Whether you like it or not we are without a doubt two of the most powerful people in Washington and we happen to be in love. You love me, I know you do and I worship the ground you walk on."

"Fitz," she whispered helplessly.

"I'm long finished with other people running the show, including you. I love you, I'm in love with you – I would move heaven and earth to give you whatever your heart's desire might be but I am also the President. You are mine; I am not spending anymore time away from you. So as of now you _will_ have round the clock Secret Service Detail, no arguments and you _will_ be coming back to work for the White House."

"Now wait just a second!"

"Stop, I would never look to take you away from your business. You built it from the ground up, it's yours. I would never ask you to choose but you _will_ be returning to the White House even if only in a consulting capacity. This will allow for you to have detail without arousing suspicion. You _will_ answer the phone when I call and we _will_ be working on our relationship."

"Do I get any say at all?" She asked sarcastically.

"Of course you do, I want us to be in this together – finally. We need to be, we should be a team but Olivia no more of this saying one thing and doing another. That is over."

With a sigh she collapsed deeper into the sofa and looked over at him with tired eyes.

"You've thought a lot about this."

"I've had ten months to do nothing but think."

A loud and large yawn was her response.

"You need to sleep and I do have to get back, at least for a little while." He said with a chuckle.

"How were you able to say out this long anyway?"

"I'm the President," he said with a smirk.

He then stood up and moved over her, he leaned down to press his lips to hers. One hand went to the back of the sofa to brace himself, while the other reached up to rest on her neck. Slender hands came up to cradle the sides of his face as his tongue begged for entrance. A soft sigh and a few soft kisses later he pulled away and smiled down at her.

"Rest,"

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Tap

Tap

Tap

A quick glance at the clock told her that Fitz had barely left an hour or so before. In that time she had managed to fall into a light doze.

Who the hell would be at her door at this time of night?

A quick look through the peep-hole her world came to a screeching halt.

"Hello Bumblebee,"

"Dad…"

**End Seven **

_Wow! I love take charge Fitz. That man was in the Navy and is the President of the United States – he's got that alpha male hiding somewhere in there – it's sadly been awhile since we've really seen it on the show though. What the hell is Papa Pope doing on Olivia's doorstep? Your guess is as good as mine lol_


	8. Eight

Eight

The Devil was at her door.

Her father was at her door.

How was he at her door?

What the hell was he doing at her door?

"Olivia, invite me in." Eli whispered.

At this, the stoic agent posted outside her door shot his eyes over in askance. She allowed a small smile to curl on her lips and barely shook her head in response.

"Come in, Dad."

"Now that wasn't too difficult," he said with a smile as the door clicked shut.

"Dad, what the hell are you doing here?"

Eli then turned to take his only daughter in; her arms were crossed across her chest as she leaned against her front door. A disgruntled look on her face, as difficult as it might be for his baby girl to believe he did indeed _love_ his only child – he only wanted her happiness.

"I would have been here earlier but I figured it best to let your guest leave first. Today with you just home from the hospital didn't seem like the best time for the boyfriend and I to meet."

"Dad, don't start."

"Start? I want to meet this man who has so thoroughly swept my beloved daughter off her feet. A dossier does give a fair amount of background information on the boy but there's nothing like meeting a person face to face." He said as he moved into the living room. He then relieved himself of his coat before settling down onto the sofa.

"You can_not_ be serious!?" She exclaimed. Olivia then stomped over to stand in front of him, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"I'm dead serious, as are you. You're actually serious about this man. He's married so that's a problem but it's one that can easily be taken care of."

"I am _never_ introducing you to Fitz! The last time I brought a man home you practically had him _killed_!"

"Bumblebee really," he said with a chuckle as he settled more into the sofa.

Olivia's eyes widened in response as her mouth dropped open in frustrated shock.

"Come now, BB. That Edison boy was a means to aggravate me. He wasn't good enough for you, you knew I wouldn't like him and you were angry with me for taking your boy Huck from you. To be fair, that was wrong of me. While he was mine to start with, he had become yours. I was overzealous in taking him from you. Now that nasty business with Edison – I was saving you and you know it. There would have been no real gracious way to bow out of the engagement prior to his accident. While not an ideal situation, it gave you the out you needed. It also allowed you to be free to pursue your relationship with Fitzgerald."

With a heavy sigh she let her arms drop to her sides as she looked around the room helplessly for a moment.

"Well since you're here… and apparently not leaving anytime soon. Do you want a drink?"

"Please,"

It wasn't long before she was padding softly back into the living room with a bottle of fine red and two long stemmed wine glasses.

"Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III, President of the United States."

"Dad,"

"That's quite a mouthful; you know I nearly had him killed when I saw what he did to you after he found out about that whole Defiance bull. I've never seen you so broken not even… not even after your mother had left us."

Olivia curled her feet up under her tiny frame and snuggled deeper into the sofa, glass of wine still clutched between her hands.

"Well, thank you for your… restraint." She said with a grimace.

"Not even going to ask how I know about Defiance?" He asked with a laugh.

She rolled her eyes and cocked her head in response.

"Fair enough,"

"You don't like him,"

"I don't know him except on paper and to be honest no one is ever going to be good enough for my little Bumblebee… but for you – for you I'm willing to try." He said as he sipped his wine.

"His… situation doesn't upset you?" She asked carefully.

"If you're referring to the fact that he's the President of the United States and I've sworn to protect this Republic and the fairy tale surrounding it – then it would be a lie for me to say that this situation doesn't cause me some concern. However, with the right maneuvering of certain chess pieces this whole thing could actually bring more stability to this nation. Something I'm very much in favor of. Now if you're referring to the fact that he's married, to the wicked witch of the west no less. Then no – that's easily taken care of." He said as a matter of fact.

"You're serious," a look of shock and confusion settling onto her face.

With a sigh he set down his glass and turned to fully face his daughter.

"Millicent Grant is not as clean as she would have everyone believe."

Confused silence was his response.

"Mellie Grant has stepped out on her marriage with no less than ten different partners during her twenty year marriage to the President. One of the men was… rather close to the President. While it had very tense beginnings, she did continue to see this man off and on for a number of years. I'll not burden you with the details but let's just say that extramarital affairs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Mrs. Grant's indiscretions. The President on the other hand has never stepped out on his marriage – that is until very recently. Despite all that nasty business with his father, the man is practically a saint but you knew that. He's the _real_ deal."

"Dad, why – why would you look into Mellie?"

"Mellie Grant is a rather large obstacle keeping my daughter from getting what she wants. You want Fitzgerald Grant, correct?"

She began to nod, hesitation coloring her face.

"You can't kill her!" She suddenly blurted out.

"Who said anything about killing her?"

"Dad!"

"Relax Olivia, just because someone is a problem in my opinion – it doesn't automatically mean death."

"Let's be realistic, that's a rarity!"

"True but no one is looking to kill Mellie Grant – except maybe your boyfriend every time she goes off on one of her rants."

"Dad!"

"Do you love him? Do you really want him?" He asked suddenly.

Eyes wide she searched her father's face, wondering at the line of questioning.

"I… I love him. He was hurt, I was hurt but, but we're trying to at least be friends again. I don't know about anything more than that at this point. He's still married and he's still the President. Those are not small things."

Eli then smiled at his daughter and reached out to cup her cheeks. He then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Olivia couldn't help but look up at her father in shock.

"You need to rest; I want you to take the day off tomorrow – meaning no office, no long work conference calls. You get to check in once or twice throughout the day and that's it. Don't think I won't know if you do otherwise. I know you have Secret Service guarding you but you will be receiving a new shadow. While Huck is very good – he's still human and can't be around 24 hours a day. The man does have to sleep at some point." He said as he gathered his coat and made his way to the door.

Olivia merely shook her head in response, knowing that it would be utterly useless to argue.

"Good night Libby," he said as the door clicked shut behind him.

It was then her phone began to chime softly. A quick glance at the clock told her it was nearing one thirty in the morning. Fitz had already been by and her father just left. Her eyes widened in surprise at the number that was flashing across the screen.

"Liv, we need you – we have to talk and I dunno but just not over the phone. Could you please come?"

"Four, what's going on? Are you alright?"

**End Eight**

_Hopefully everyone had a happy and safe holiday! We should be getting back to our more regular updating schedule with the exception New Year's celebrations. I know that was a bit short but I wanted to break up the next couple of chapters. It'll soon make sense as to why. Look at Papa Pope trying to be a good dad. Let's not be mistaken now – the man IS certifiable but he DOES love his daughter. Cookies to whoever can guess who Four is! _


	9. Nine

Nine

This was her life ladies and gentleman. She had witnessed the death of a man who might have had the potential to be a friend if not something a bit more, her married ex-boyfriend was potentially not her ex anymore and her slightly unhinged father had dropped by for a visit. All of this in the past twenty-four hours or so and now – well now she was approximately thirty thousand feet up in the air on a private jet making her way toward Santa Barbara, California.

Why?

Fitzgerald Thomas Grant IV had called sounding entirely too stressed out for a thirteen year old. The two had gotten close during his father's campaign. Now nearly four years later the two along with his younger sister Karen had kept in rather close contact – despite her falling out with their father. The three had bonded over being boarding school babies. Shipped off entirely too young and never seeming to get enough family time was something that had bonded them deeply. Despite Big Gerry's bull, he had kept Fitz in the home. The same went for Mellie. Neither of them had been shipped off to boarding school period – let alone at too young of an age.

With a sigh she let her mind wander back to the phone call she had received barely an hour before.

"_Liv, we need you – we have to talk and I dunno but just not over the phone. Could you please come?" _

"_Four, what's going on? Are you alright?"_

"_We're fine but not fine. No one is dying or anything. Karen and I are still at school… for now."_

"_For now, that's not the way this works. You know you can't leave without some type of permission from your parents or your grandparents and since you're calling me at one thirty in the morning my time I'm going to take a stab in the dark and take a guess that none of them have any idea you two are thinking of pulling a runner."_

"_Kar and I aren't looking to run anywhere but we want – need to talk to you and we'd like it to be in person."_

"_Four c'mon just tell me what's going on. I'm sure it's something we can get figured out right here and now on the phone." She said softly. _

"_Liv, we wouldn't ask if we didn't think it was important."_

"_Where is Kar? Is she with you?"_

"_Nah, she's over in the girl's dorms. This phone call is risky enough. We're allowed our cells and phone calls but it's supposed to be radio silence from ten at night till seven in the morning."_

"_You two are going to give me gray hair."_

"_Love you too, Liv."_

"_I'm guessing this meeting is meant to be a secret."_

"_Yeah,"_

"_Okay Agent 007, how on earth are you going to pull that one off? Both you and your sister have detail and well now – so do I," she said with a sigh._

"_You have detail to ditch too?" _

"_Neither one of you is ditching your detail! Do you hear me? If you so much as make a move to lose your agents you can forget about me going anywhere near California."_

"_Relaaax, we wouldn't do that. Not now. Anyway we don't even need to lose 'em. They might actually be useful to us."_

"_Where on earth am I supposed to be meeting you two anyway? You are thirteen and your sister is nine, you two can't just waltz off campus and the second I would step foot on the grounds, your parents would know."_

"_The Ranch, it's only a few miles from school. No one is there – no one is ever there unless Dad is home."_

_A heavy sigh escaped her._

"_Four, this is a _bad_ idea. I get that you're freaked out about – _something_ but meeting like this, not telling your dad what's going on. This is a one ticket to… to badness," she finished lamely._

"_Liv, I get it I do but we need you to come and afterward you can tell dad everything. In fact we'll even go in with you and help you tell him everything but – we need to see you first, please."_

"_Okay, do whatever it is you need to do to get to the Ranch today. I'm sure the diabolical duo that is you and your sister, already have a plan. It should only take me about an hour, ninety minutes at the most to get on a plane and be on my way to you. However it'll probably be another five hours before I touch down, that should give you more than enough time."_

"_You're the best Liv!"_

Her next phone call after that was to her father. She needed access to a private plane and with Verna dead he was the only one she knew who could get her on one at that time of night. There was also the pesky fact that she did indeed need to ditch her Secret Service detail. Although she knew no way in hell would that go over well either Fitz or her father. So she did something she hadn't done in years – she asked her father for help.

Apparently there were at least two Secret Service Agents who had been put in place by her father to keep an eye on the goings on in the White House – so basically they were in actuality B613 Agents. After much debate he agreed to have her current agent swapped out for one of his and to have her on a plane within thirty minutes.

She knew whatever was going on had to be big. Those two were some of the toughest kids she had ever encountered. It actually had her worrying that it was something she might not be able to handle. There was also the fact that she was headed to a secret meeting involving two kids, two kids that she loved dearly but still weren't hers to parent.

Fitz was going to kill her.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Cyrus Rutherford Beene was having a very bad day.

It was eight o'clock in the morning.

His President was holed up in his private office, refusing any visitors including his Chief of Staff. His First Lady had one foot out the door.

Today was shaping up to be a very bad day.

Very bad.

He found himself standing in the middle of The Residence watching the First Lady pack her things and she was nearly out the door, headed to Blair House. The First Lady was leaving The President of The United States.

This was a problem, a big one.

"Madam First Lady, Mellie."

"I'm leaving, Cyrus."

"You can't,"

"I'm leaving him, I'm moving across the street into Blair House don't worry we'll make use of the tunnels so no one has to know. For now. I'm also taking his son, a baby needs to be with its mother-"

"Mellie you can_not_ take his son! He'll lose it. He's in his private office at the minute, just give him time to surface and we can all sit down and discuss this like the rational adults that we are!" Cyrus pleaded.

"I am done Cyrus. I'm telling you now that there's a clock on this, this me being quiet. He needs time to figure out what he wants to do, to see if he can actually _behave_. If he wants to shack up with Olivia Pope – fine let him. However, the clock is ticking and when the alarm rings I will be standing on the front lawn of Blair House holding a press conference discussing my philandering husband who can't keep his pants zipped and the whore who has him on leash. I'm done."

Cyrus then rolled his eyes heavenward as Mellie waltzed out of the room. It was all going to hell and he was at a complete loss as to what to do.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Olivia couldn't help the small smile that curled on her lips as the large black Lincoln Navigator with its darkened windows began its way up the long driveway toward the main house. The Grant Ranch held many happy memories for her.

Once the vehicle rolled to a stop she hopped out and with a nod to the two agents posted outside, she headed into the house. She could already hear the children inside, it sounded as if they were already camped out in the kitchen/family room area.

"Hey you two!" she said with a smile.

She then had two bodies rush at her full force and was wrapped up in the arms of two very happy children. Olivia then took a step back to take the two children in. Gerry had shot up and was already standing at about 5'8; he had at least a good four inches on her now. Considering that both Fitz and Mellie were quite tall he was sure to hit six foot before he was done growing. Little Karen who was currently tucked into her side was about her height.

"Look at you, Four you're already towering over me!"

"You always were a little thing Liv," he said with a smile.

"Watch it you!"

"Liv!"

"Yes, Miss Karen!"

"Missed you,"

"Aww Sweetheart, I missed you too – both of you." She said as she pulled Karen into a full hug.

It was then she began to guide the two of them over to one of the large plush sofas. Karen stayed tucked into her side while Gerry settled down in front of the two of them, sitting cross legged on the low table just across from the two girls.

"So, while I _love_ seeing you guys – what the heck is going on?"

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Agent Tom Stanton couldn't believe the ups and downs that came with this particular President. If it wasn't one thing it was something else. Never before had he encountered such a high maintenance POTUS.

"Sir,"

"Tom, I thought I said I didn't want to be disturbed."

"You did sir, but this is something that requires your attention. I don't believe it's something that you would want the First Lady to attend to."

At this Fitz dropped the papers that had his undivided attention previously.

"It would seem that Peregrine and both Eyases; Alpha and Beta are together at The Roost."

"The Roost… you mean to tell me my kids are NOT at school and that Olivia is NOT in D.C. but all three are… well not where they are supposed to be!?"

"That would be correct,"

"How the hell did this happen?"

"From what we gather the children have written permission on file with the school to access The Roost for brief periods so long as it does not interfere with classes and are accompanied by an agent. As for Peregrine, well we're not entirely sure. None of them ever made any moves to ditch their detail – it's almost as if they wanted you to be aware of the meeting, sir."

"I need to get out there and now."

"Sir, you don't have a cross country trip scheduled. It would be difficult-"

"Tom! We've been over this, I want to go out – I need to go out and it just so happens that today I need to get to Santa Barbara where my kids and where my – where Olivia is. Make it happen. I want to move within an hour."

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Gerry couldn't help but smile as he nodded his head to the heavy beat of the music. Olivia and his baby sister were dancing in sync to the beat. The second Karen had begged Olivia to help her with her routine for dance and drill team the two had kicked off their shoes and got to work – which meant he got to work on the ice cream hiding out in the freezer. After he had fixed himself a disgustingly large bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough, he hopped up on the counter and watched the girls break down the steps before putting it all together, into the full routine they were currently in the middle of.

However when the music stopped abruptly his eyes shot up in surprise.

"Holy shit," he exclaimed.

"Four – language! But yeah," Olivia admonished.

"Hi Daddy!" Karen said with a small wave.

**End Nine**

_There we have it, my version of the Grant Kids! We've never gotten a clear indication as to how old Gerry and Karen are [at least I don't think so] but going on the few pictures I've seen in the background on the show I've gotten the impression that Gerry is older. So for the purposes of my story Gerry is currently 13 and Karen is currently 9. Oh and Mellie, Mellie; what on earth are we going to do with you?_


	10. Ten

Ten

"Hi Daddy… I don't think so. Someone had better start talking – now!"

Olivia sucked in a big breath as her eyes darted around the room. She knew Fitz's anger stemmed more from fear than anger. She and his two kids practically fell off the radar for a few hours. He was bound to freak out.

It was time for some damage control.

She then turned her attention from Fitz and reached out for Karen who was hovering behind her. With a soft nudge she sent Karen over toward her brother.

"G4 babe; Take Kaz and go upstairs, we'll come get you in a little bit." She said with a tense smile.

"Liv,"

"Go on, bowl in the sink before you go."

A nod of acknowledgement was all she received before Gerry grabbed his sister and booked it up the stairs. Olivia and Fitz waited in silence until they heard the telltale click of a door upstairs opening and closing.

She then slowly turned to face Fitz.

"Hi,"

"Hi," he said, worry etched on his features.

"I'm so sorry-"

"Liv, what the hell is going on?"

"Four called me up really late last night after you had left and he was freaking out, which of course made me freak out because I love the little terror for some reason-" She was saying with a smile.

"Liv, you disappear from D.C. right after being attacked and my kids are NOT at school where they should be. I was worried, so worried. I'm not mad you came out here but why – why didn't you tell me?" He implored as he stepped forward to wrap an arm around her waist, his other hand reaching up to rest on her neck.

"I really am sorry but he called in a panic and he asked me to come. He asked me to come, Fitz – I just couldn't say no."

"Are you okay? Are you feeling okay?" He asked as he led her to the sofa.

"I feel fine, just a few small twinges. It's nothing a couple of pain relievers won't fix."

"Okay, so tell me what's going on?"

Olivia sucked her lower lip in between her teeth, a thoughtful expression forming.

"You have to promise you are not going to freak out on the two of them. They were hoping that if I came out and helped handle things before it could get to you – that well you'd be calmer about the whole thing. It hasn't quite worked out that way. You're here now and you need to know. So I need you to be calm when we tackle this."

"I promise to be calm."

She gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Four, Kaz you can come down." She said barely raising her voice.

"They're not going to hear-"

His two kids suddenly appeared in front of him.

"They were hovering," Olivia said with a small smile.

"C'mere you guys, what's going on?"

Karen move to settle herself on the sofa once more, right in between Fitz and Olivia while Gerry took up his place once more on the table across from everyone.

"Dad you have to promise not to start a war or something," Gerry drawled.

"A war?" Fitz asked, brow raised.

"Daddy, some kids have been saying really mean – bad things. Gerry's been fighting." Karen said softly.

"Ger?" Fitz said softly.

"Some people have just been talking a lot of crap lately, about you, about our family. Some even say some stuff in front of Karen – it's gross what they're saying. It's all bullshit!" Gerry finished harshly.

"Four!"

Gerry rolled his eyes in response but did manage to mutter out a '_sorry_'.

"Wait, fighting – like physical fist fights? No way. Your school has a strict policy on that. Someone would have been notified. I know we gave your grandparents some power to act on your mother and my behalf but something like this would have come to your mother and me."

This was met with silence.

"Guys, tell your dad what you told me. It's okay." Olivia said softly.

"Mommy knows," Karen said softly as she burrowed deeper into Fitz's side.

A heavy sigh then escaped Gerry.

"Look Mom knows. The first time it happened the school couldn't get a hold of you or mom so Grandpa Vaunt was called. He then called Mom. She got Kar and I on the phone and gave us this huge lecture about how we're Grants and people will talk and to just – not listen. But Dad, the stuff they've been saying… and you _always_ told me to stand up for myself! So that's what I've been doing, for both me and Kar."

"Wait… wait how do I not know about any of this? Both your grandparents and mother are aware that you two are having these type of problems at school?" He asked his eyes wide and upset.

The two children merely nodded in response.

"So… why call Liv?"

"She's our fixer," Karen said softly.

"Yeah I mean – that's what everyone called her during the campaign. Every day it was 'If there's a problem, get Liv on it.' and besides, its Liv – she's always had our back before. So I called." Gerry said.

"You guys… the two of you should have called me. I had _no_ idea this was even going on."

"We know, that was the point, we were kinda hoping Liv would handle everything before we had to tell you. That way by the time you found out – it was handled." Gerry explained.

"I'm happy you felt safe and comfortable enough to call Liv, but I really don't like that you guys had no plans to tell me right away. I'm not mad – at least not at you two but guys you have got to tell me what's going on from now on. We _are_ Grants and we are in this _together_!" He said, while the sentiment was directed at the children his eyes were locked with Olivia.

His children gave hesitant nods in response.

"Okay, who is hungry?"

This was met with two very large smiles.

"Alright, I'll be calling your school saying that I have you for the night. You two head upstairs and get washed up, the four of us are going out for something to eat."

At that the two thundered out of the room.

"Liv… what the hell am I going to do?" He asked, frustration coloring his tone.

With a heavy sigh, Olivia collapsed into the sofa, her eyes closing in exhaustion as she let her head fall backward.

"Right now, you are going to shelve the utter rage you are feeling toward your wife and in-laws and go out to dinner with your two awesome kids. You need to unwind from all the White House drama and now this. Dinner with the kids will do that for you."

"You do know that you're coming,"

She let her head roll to the side, her eyes opened as her hands settled on her tummy.

"Yes, I'm well aware. My presence will luckily be easy to explain away considering the situation at their school. I'm a lawyer, a well known fixer and close advisor to you. It would make sense for me to be out here, in order to help. The only thing that we'll have to cover our asses on is Mellie's absence – of course.

"Of course," he said with a sigh.

"Although it shouldn't be too much a problem considering Baby Teddy, it'd be easy enough to say that with you coming here for the children and with me as your counsel she felt things with her two older children were well in hand and made the decision to stay with the baby, makes her look maternal as all hell." Olivia said with a self deprecating laugh.

"That's my wife – the definition of maternal." He said with an eye roll.

"Fitz,"

"I don't want 'em out here anymore. I never liked the idea of them at boarding school. I want my kids with me in D.C. I want Ger and Karen at the White House. I want them to live with me full time. This should have never happened Olivia – _never_!"

"Okay,"

"Okay? That's it, that's your response?"

"Fitz those two amazing little people up there are your kids, if you want them with you full time then they should be at home with you in the White House full time. I imagine it was Mellie's idea to ship them off to boarding school in the first place. I know I'm not big on the sharing and… and I'm trying to get better about that but – look let me just put it this way. After my mom died, my father shipped me off to boarding school at the age of twelve. I've never lived in a home, in a house that belonged to my father since then. I am not a fan of boarding school." She said solemnly.

"Olivia,"

"No, it's okay, I'm a big girl – but if you want your kids with you. I will do everything in my power to make that happen." She said with a small smile.

A nod and smile were his response.

Two large loud thumps interrupted the peace that had settled over the pair.

"Food!" Gerry said with a smile, his sister who was giggling in the background was bouncing on her toes behind him while vigorously nodding.

Fitz couldn't help but laugh as he pulled Olivia up from the sofa, as much as he would have like to wrap his arms around her, he knew he couldn't – yet. However there would be nothing wrong with keeping her hand wrapped up with his. When she made to pull away he tightened his grip and led his family out to the motorcade that would take three of his four favorite people out to eat.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Olivia and Karen's laughter was so loud and unreserved as they watched Fitz and Gerry face off against one another in a full on _Dance, Dance Revolution_ Showdown.

After much debate the group of four had ended up at an upscale arcade/restaurant that catered to the children of California's elite. It took some doing but both Fitz and Olivia had gotten the Secret Service to keep the sweep low-key and to allow most of the establishment's patrons to stay while the family enjoyed themselves.

"Go Four, you got this!" Olivia cheered.

"Hey! Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Fitz complained, as he struggled to keep up with the game.

"Says who?" Olivia sassed.

"I got you Daddy! Kick Ger's-"

"Kaz!" Olivia called out, brow raised.

"Bum," Karen said with a sheepish smile.

This of course caused Fitz to completely mess up his footing, the game declaring Gerry the winner.

"Hey c'mon Kar, I'll race you!" Gerry said as he nodded toward a motorbike based game. With a grin Karen took off after her brother. Two Secret Service Agents discreetly followed the pair.

"Worn out, old man?" Olivia teased as the two made their way back to the booth.

"You are lucky we are in public, or I'd show you old man!" Fitz shot back, a wicked grin curled on his lips.

Olivia merely shook her head in response as she slid back into the booth across from Fitz.

"Today has been good for them, good for you. You guys are looking much better." Olivia said with a smile.

"So do you Ms. Pope,"

"I think we all forget that sometimes everyone of us needs to escape the bubble, even if it's only for a little while."

"Mmmm, when we get back I want to talk to the kids tonight about coming back to D.C."

"Okay, I can make myself scarce if you need."

"No, actually I'd like you to be there. If the kids are on board with this idea I want them to fly back with us at the end of the week. It's Tuesday now. I want to see if we can get this whole thing squared away within the rest of the week. I know I'm asking a lot by having you out here for nearly a week but if it means that at the end of it we all go back together to D.C. I think it's worth it."

"Wow, you want this to move quick."

"If it can, it's near mid-year break. Now would be the perfect time to move them. I know starting somewhere new sucks mid-year but maybe if they were so opposed to it we could do tutors until the next school year started. I just want my kids home with me."

"Sure, it's something to discuss between tonight and tomorrow. I have a feeling you will have two very happy children returning to D.C. with you in tow come the end of this week. I'm sure between the both of us we can avoid any bad press when it comes to moving the kids at such an awkward time of year."

"Good, I think it might be time to wrangle the little hellions," Fitz said with a smile.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Mellie Grant was settling in to have her morning coffee as she waited for her breakfast to be brought up however, the delicate china crashed to the floor as she caught sight of the front page of The Post and a multitude of other papers at the corner of the dining room table.

There on the front page was an image of her daughter Karen who had her arm hooked through Olivia Fucking Pope's. The two of them with their heads close together, large smiles on their faces. Just behind them a few steps was Fitz with his arm slung over Gerry's shoulder. Again the two were sporting smiles as the group of four headed toward the Presidential Motorcade.

Rage began to claw at the back of her throat as she caught sight of the varying headlines and captions.

'_First Family lets loose,'_

'_President Grant takes time to spend with his two oldest children after allegations of trouble at their school with well known top aide and family friend, Olivia Pope.'_

'_POTUS vs. First Son – Dance, Dance Revolution Showdown'_

As Mellie began to paw through the papers, her stomach rolled. In each paper there was no less than a two page spread of the group's night out. The Post was the worst, with a full six pages dedicated to the night out. It was a mixture of professional and camera phone shots of them enjoying a meal of pizzas and salads to Fitz and Gerry's dance off. There were even photos of Olivia and Gerry battling it out at an old school arcade game of _Street Fighter_.

Here was her worst nightmare, in print.

Mellie Grant let out such a screech that two Secret Service Agents came barreling into the room guns drawn.

**End Ten**

_Oh my two in one day! I was on a roll and again the next part REALLY does need to be separate from this awesome piece of fluff lol. I hope everyone enjoyed dinner with the Grants. Yes the Grant Kids will be around in this fiction but have no fear they won't be taking over. Poor Mellie she dropped her morning coffee!_


	11. Eleven

Eleven

_Dappled rays of low sunlight were starting to fill the room, lending to it a warmth and soft glow in the early morning hours. Fitz allowed a small smile to curl on his lips as he looked down at Olivia, past out asleep on her stomach, her hair deliciously tousled around her head like a halo, the elegant curve of her back completely exposed to his eyes and low light. At some point during the night the sheet had slipped down to rest just over the swell of her bum. It was a very pleasant sight to wake up to in his opinion. Moments such as these were rare and when they did come around he had learned from experience to savor every second._

_He moved slowly over her body, his fingertips began to make a soft trail down her back followed by a feather light touch with his lips. A soft sigh escaped her and he couldn't help but smile in response. His lips slowly traced a path back up her spine before placing a kiss at the nape of her neck. With that she slowly turned over and lazily wrapped her arms around his shoulders, allowing him to settle between her thighs. _

"_Mmmm Livie,"_

_A small smile curled on her lips before she leaned up to press a soft kiss to his lips. He then shifted his hips and was inside her, a breath of surprise falling from her lips. Olivia raised her hips and curled her legs tighter around his waist as he dropped his body down to press tightly against hers, his face buried in her neck. His hands skimmed down her arms as he brought her hands slowly above her head, they began to move against one another. His face still pressed against her neck just below her ear. Her breath began to come in short gasps, small whimpers intermingling with their breathing. Fitz felt her body begin to shudder and nipped at the sensitive skin of her neck as he continued to move against her, his hands gripped hers tightly as his hips pressed forward one last time. _

_The grip he had on her hands loosened and his thumbs began to gently trace circular patterns against her wrists. His lips and tongue began to slowly trace a trail up her neck to her lips. He couldn't help but smile as he felt her mouth his three favorite words against his lips._

'_I love you'_

A steady thumping beat began to break its way through his conscious.

With a groan he rolled over and his eyes widened in surprise when he caught sight of the clock – 10:43, 10:43 in the morning? He hadn't slept that late in years. Fitz couldn't help but let out a huff of a laugh when he looked down at his very wet boxers. He then remembered that Olivia had sent him off to his own room with a soft kiss, claiming it wouldn't be appropriate with the children there.

Fitz dragged himself out of the bed and padded softly into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

The heavy thumping that had woken him was getting louder and some of the nicest smells were starting to make their way into his room. It seemed the rest of the house was already up.

When he got to the kitchen he was greeted by what was possibly one of the most perfect things he could have ever laid eyes on.

Gerry was perched up on the counter barefoot, dressed simply in jeans and a tee as his head moved to the music; it seemed that boy was always seated on something, anything that wasn't a chair these days.

It was his two girls though that had him grinning madly. Olivia while barefoot was in a pair of skinny jeans with a Grant for President Tee that was clearly too large for her and knotted at the waist, showing off a delish expanse of her tummy as she moved her hips to the music. Her hair while straight was pulled back into a high ponytail with just a bit of her bangs falling over her smiling face. His Karen seemed to be in a matching Grant for President Tee, though more size appropriate and a pair of denim shorts. Olivia was working on a large bowl of eggs, while Karen seemed to have some type of batter in front of her.

However when the two stopped moving to the music and looked at each other before they began to belt out the lyrics, he was done for and the laughter he had been holding in, burst forth.

- a -

_Oooh you might not ever get rich but let me tell you it's better than diggin' a ditch_

_There ain't no tellin' who you might meet, a movie star or maybe even a Indian Chief_

_Workin' at the car wash, workin' at the car wash, yeah – c'mon and sing it with me – car wash_

- a -

"Good Morning, Mister President." Olivia said with a wide smile as she lowered the music.

"What is all this?" He asked with a laugh.

"Brunch," Gerry said as a matter of fact as he munched on an apple slice.

"Why didn't you guys wake me up?" He asked, upset that he missed time with them.

"Liv said to let you sleep," Karen explained as she worked on the batter for the waffles.

"I figured why not have you make use of your very impromptu vacation, running a country is exhausting. At least I've heard tell." She teased.

"Nah cake," he joked back, as he stole an apple slice from the bowl.

It wasn't long before the food was ready and the four of them settled at varying places around, or in Gerry's case on the island to eat.

"So what's the game plan? Kar and I were talking about it last night and we want to go back with you. We hate being out here without you guys."

"I got in contact with the Headmaster earlier this morning, I explained that your father would be keeping you two again for today and would like to meet with him first thing tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure he knows something major is up. Since I spent at least twenty minutes listening to him harp on and on about what assets you two are to the school – if that were true such behavior wouldn't have been allowed to go on." Olivia explained.

"Good, I want this over with quickly. Today is Wednesday I want us out of here early morning on Friday. I'd like it if we could be back in D.C. around noon or so." Fitz said with a nod as he sipped his coffee.

"So soon, don't you wanna play hooky some more, Dad?" Gerry teased.

"Actually I got in touch with Lauren and with the exception of a few conference calls I just can't get out of I am technically work free until next Monday, barring the apocalypse of course. I thought we could take the weekend to hang out, get you guys settled back into the White House-"

"And hang with Liv!" Karen said with a giggle.

"And hang with Liv," he said with a smile.

"Sounds good to me, it's been ages since we did anything together like yesterday. Back to business though for a quick minute, you two are moving mid-year. Well not even quite mid-year yet. Would you guys feel more comfortable having a private tutor for the last few weeks of this year until classes start back up in January? That way when you start in January it should be less awkward, at least that's the idea in theory."

"I'm cool with that," Gerry said.

"Me too," Karen replied.

"Okay, hang on a sec." Olivia said as she quickly took a sip of coffee before she darted away from the table. It took her only a minute to return and she dropped a few large glossy brochures on the counter.

"Check it out guys. Your dad had me looking into D.C. area schools. I mean ultimately it's up to your dad but we thought it'd be a good for you guys to take a look at the choices. We've got three that we think will really fit you guys. There's Sidwell, Brandice and Parker Academies. Don't worry about getting separated either, each of them is private, has a million and one activities as well as a lower, middle and upper schools." Olivia explained with a smile.

Gerry eagerly grabbed the brochures and began to light up excitedly as he flipped through the pages. Karen was no less enthusiastic as she flipped through the pages but quickly dropped them in disinterest and turned to face her father.

"No matter where we go, we get to come home every night, right?" She asked softly.

"Yeah baby girl, you guys are going to live with me full time once again. So you're stuck with me annoying you – daily." He said with a grin.

Karen threw her arms around his middle as she buried her head into his side.

"I'm cool with that," Gerry grinned.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Fitz couldn't help but smile as he leaned against the counter, watching Olivia load the dishwasher and finish cleaning up from the whirlwind that was brunch. He had sent the kids off for a little while under the guise of discussing their move and while that was partly true it was more so he could finally get a moment alone with his woman.

"Good Morning Livie,"

"Just barely," she said with a cheeky smile, throwing a quick glance at the clock.

"Hey, 11:57 still counts as morning – technically."

"Technically," a smile curled on her lips.

A huff escaped his lips as his hands settled on her hips before he leaned down to steal a soft kiss.

"Fitz,"

"I missed you,"

"You just saw me,"

"I always miss you,"

A shy smile was her response as she moved away from him and back toward the counter.

"So Ms. Pope, my beautiful and talented fixer – details. How was the conversation with Headmaster Chalmers really?"

"He's aware of the bullying and of Four's fighting. He tried to explain it away that because The Vaunts were made aware, and Mellie through them it was all okay. Of course we both know that's not the case. He also claims that peer to peer meetings have taken place to iron out any potential misunderstandings. Which okay fine, you can't always get involved when kids fight but when it starts getting physical it's time for adults to step in. Really step in, none of this let the kids work it out garbage. A major problem appears to be that no one is really getting disciplined. Four isn't getting into any real trouble beyond being told not to fight for what looks like two reasons, he's the one who is being attacked and being the President's son. The other boy, let's just say that daddy has deep pockets and the school has had their grubby hands buried in them for a good few years now."

"So it's a slap on the wrist for this kid, can't afford to upset a major benefactor, even if his son actions will royally fuck off the President of the United States," Fitz bit out viciously.

"Fitz!"

"Sorry,"

"Now I know where Four gets it from," she said with a laugh.

"Liv,"

"It'll be fine; you're going to be running for re-election soon. It'll be easy enough to say that taking everything into account you want the kids closer to where you are right now. You wanting to be closer to your children will bring nothing but good press. Both Four and Kaz are okay for the most part, you have no plans to take any legal action against the school so long as you're allowed to part ways with them quietly. This way the school will have nothing but glowing things to say about those two and we can put it all behind us. Those two are going to love Sidwell, even if it's only for their very lackadaisical uniform policy."

"Yeah did you see their eyes when you told them about that particular?" He said with a laugh.

"Christmas come early!"

A heavy sigh escaped him, though he was still smiling.

"Next hurdle – Mellie," he said with a grimace.

"The kids are coming back to D.C.; it's a done deal at this point. No way in hell would I let you leave them here now, it doesn't matter what garbage Mellie might come up with. So as terrible and awful as it sounds just don't speak to Mellie until Friday morning. It's Wednesday, there's not a heck of a lot to plan. We go see the headmaster tomorrow, and get the kids moved out directly after. By the time that's all done more than half the day should be gone. With us leaving so early in the morning the next day, we'll be back in D.C. by the time Mellie is probably the wiser. More than likely she thinks this trip is you trying to mediate out a peaceful solution to keep the kids out here."

"It is, since that's the message I told Cyrus to pass along to her Chief of Staff," he said with a smirk.

"Fitzgerald," she said with a shake of her head.

"Mmmm I like that,"

"She's going to kill you,"

He merely rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders in response as he stalked closer to her. His arms came up on either side of her, effectively pinning her to the counter. Fitz then took another step toward her, pressing his waist in close before leaning down to press his lips to hers.

"I love this," he whispered.

Olivia smiled softly in response, her hand came up to rest against the side of his face, her thumb brushed his lower lip. She then leaned forward and pressed another quick soft kiss to his lips.

"We should get the kids, do something. Tomorrow is going to be crazy with the meeting and then packing. We'll be lucky to have a quiet dinner before heading back."

"I bet Artax misses you,"

"Oooh I'd love to go riding, it looks like a good day for it," Olivia said with an excited smile.

"Why do I feel like an Arabian stallion is getting more love than me at the minute?"

With a quick kiss to his lips and a wink she ducked out from under his arms and ran off laughing.

**End Eleven**

_Wow check that out, poor flyboy had a wet dream. I'm so mean to our poor POTUS. A little more Grant Family fluff before things start to get really ridiculous. I know I said the last chapter would be the fluffy one but I wanted to keep the good vibes going, I'm so bummed that it's not going to last lol. _

**Next** Olivia and Fitz meet with the headmaster, please note Olivia _WILL_ have a mama bear moment. Oh yeah and Mellie makes an appearance, is anyone else as excited as I am!?


	12. Twelve

_First I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review; I literally savor every single one. They make it much easier to bang out chapters, so please keep them coming. I also want to apologize I would have had this one up sooner but Fanfiction was giving me trouble and not wanting to load properly_.

Twelve

Olivia couldn't help but smile as she reclined on one of the loungers by the pool. After brunch the group had spent the day out and about on the trails. It was a beautiful day and the four of them had spent much of it out with the horses. They had finally made it back to the house late in the afternoon, early evening hours. Instead of being tired, the kids were still wired so the decision was made to go for a swim. Despite it being so late in the year, the weather was warm enough for it, so she currently had the pleasure of watching three silly monkeys horse around in the pool.

She was pulled from her musings as a very wet Fitz started to stalk his way toward her, a devilish smirk on his face.

"Don't you dare!"

"What?" He asked innocently.

"You know what!"

His smirk merely got wider as he stepped up to hover over her and began to shake out his hair and body, like a dog. This of course was met with a shriek of indignation, followed by Fitz's laughter.

"Not cool," she said with a mock glare.

"Love you too, Baby" a smile on his lips as he settled into the lounger beside her.

Before she could respond the persistent chime of her phone ringing cut through the air.

"Cyrus,"

A frustrated growl was Fitz's very eloquent response to that.

"If I don't answer this, we'll just have a bigger problem later."

Again Fitz failed to look impressed.

"I'll do all the talking; for once I'll be the gatekeeper – you just have to sit there and look pretty."

At this Fitz perked up and a delighted expression overcame his face as he nodded toward the phone. He was well aware Olivia could talk circles around Cyrus, though the opportunity rarely arose and when it did he usually wasn't present. Thank god for small favors.

"Are you two looking to kill me? Do you not hold any love for me in your hearts anymore? Is there some sick twisted pleasure that you both get from being my beloved Mensa level morons?"

"Hi, Hello, How are you?" Olivia asked sarcastically.

"Olivia," Cyrus growled.

"Cyrus," she mocked.

Fitz began to snicker in the background, Olivia's hand shot out to smack him in the upper arm. He then feigned a wounded look and gently rubbed at the spot she had managed to make contact with.

"Olivia, I am dying here. Two of my most brilliant minds are across the country – _together_. Together in what I know is the _same damn residence_ – thank you Secret Service – when they honestly shouldn't even be in the same damn city. So don't even get me started on the optics of that, because I have impending World War III here, just before Fitz took off to play Super Dad Mellie moved out and into Blair House."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me! I'm not even sure he's aware she's jumped ship. She told me there's a clock on how long she keeps quiet about, _everything_! However she didn't say when the clock would run out. I do know that she's been trying to get in to see me. Of course after seeing the papers this morning I know damn well why. That woman is going to be on the war path, the four of you made the front page of nearly every major paper and for sure every cover of the gossip rags."

"Mmmm Mellie is always going to be a problem Cy, you know that. How's it looking though? We've been in a little bit of a bubble here."

"Fantastic to be honest, Fitz looks like the loving parent taking a minute out for his children. The rags are mostly focusing on the night out you four had. There's some speculation as to why you're there during family time but the legit papers have put those rumblings to rest. File footage from his campaign is being shown side by side with everything. It makes sense for you to be there basically. Mellie is coming across as the rational loving mother to stay behind with Teddy and you the perfect family friend, who went out there to be his counsel while dealing with that damn school."

"Good, we have a meeting with the school tomorrow, this should all be squared away by the end of the day and you'll have your president back sometime before Friday evening."

"Friday!?"

"Friday,"

"Olivia, this is five days without my president. I don't care that his schedule has been gutted, this is bull. He needs to get his ass back here and in the Oval. Whatever the hell is going on at that school I'm sure you can handle it."

"Cyrus I'm not even going to speak to any of that garbage, you know Fitz isn't going to just up and leave his kids."

"Liv!"

"Goodbye Cyrus,"

Olivia looked to her left and was met with a widely grinning Fitz.

"Did we manage to knock off poor Cyrus yet?" Fitz asked teasingly.

"Fitz! According to him the optics of this trip are good but not all is well on the front."

A raised brow was the received response.

"This is serious, Mellie has moved out and into Blair House-"

"I'm aware; Tom made me aware as I was making my way here. I had a choice, to try and deal with another Mellie temper tantrum or to come and take care of my children. I chose my children."

"Fitz this is serious-"

"I want to kiss you right now," He said as a matter of fact.

"Fitz!"

He then shifted on the lounger so he was fully facing her.

"Olivia, I am here. Right now I am here with you and my children. I don't really care if Mellie is threatening to bring down a literal storm of fire and brimstone. My focus is here, with you and the kids. Tomorrow we have a meeting that brings me one step closer to getting everyone who is important to me under one roof. For right now everything else can go to hell."

Olivia shook her head in response before giving a hesitant nod in agreement.

"And I still want to kiss you," he said with a grin.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Gerry and Karen were hovering near the edge of the pool watching the two adults under their care very carefully. It was a big job looking after two powerhouse adults like their dad and Olivia.

"He looks like he wants to kiss her."

"Karen!"

"Well he does," she said with a shrug.

Gerry merely shook his head in response.

"I think they should kiss."

"What about mom?" Gerry asked.

"Mommy and Daddy are always yelling at each other… I'm not sure they even like each other but Daddy is always smiling when Liv is around and he really looks like he wants to kiss her."

"It'd be wrong if they kissed now, he's still married to mom."

"Maybe they shouldn't be married anymore."

"Maybe," he whispered in response.

"Do you think Liv knows?"

"Knows what?"

"That daddy wants to kiss her?"

Gerry glanced at the adults on the deck and then back at his baby sister.

"Doubt it; grownups rarely know what they're actually doing. Would you really be okay with Dad and Liv being together?"

"I like Liv, I thought you did too?"

"I do… just it could be weird."

"More weird than the way things are now?"

Instead of giving his sister an answer Gerry sighed heavily and sunk beneath the water.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Olivia was nervous today. Normally Olivia was never nervous. This meeting with the headmaster felt too much like a parent/teacher conference. Although, Olivia would walk through fire for the Grant children, she was technically not their parent. She gave herself a quick once over in the mirror, her hair was once again straight and hung around her shoulders in loose waves, couldn't afford to put off the WASPS with her natural curls. She was dressed in a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a slate gray Alexander McQueen military jacket and matching five inch pumps. Chic but casual.

She then wandered down the hall to find Fitz messing with his tie. The man was the President of the United States for goodness sake. She knew damn well that he purposefully messed with them when she was around. Anything to have her hands on him, if only for a few brief moments.

"No tie today,"

"No?" he asked but let his hands drop to his sides.

"No, for this meeting you are not the President of the United States, you are Gerry and Karen's father." She said with a smile as she pulled the tie from around his neck and tossed it on the bed. She then reached up to unbutton the top two buttons to his shirt.

"Good?"

"Very good," She said with a smile as she ran her hands up the expanse of his chest to settle on his shoulder before she leaned up for a quick kiss.

"C'mon Flyboy we gotta go, the kids are already in the car."

Fitz smiled happily as he grabbed his jacket off the bed; he then took off after Olivia who was already half way down the hall. When he reached her he pulled her into his side, his hand settled on her hip. Olivia allowed the contact and the two stayed pressed up against one another until they hit the front door, they then separated and headed out to the cars.

The ride to the school was quick and quiet, it had already been decided that the kids would head directly to their dorms to pack up whatever they needed immediately. The rest would be handled by the Secret Service. Both Karen and Gerry would be accompanied by two agents who would get them in and out as quietly and quickly as possible, which wouldn't be too difficult considering their dorm mates would all be in class at the time. Both Fitz and Olivia expected the meeting with the headmaster to be quick and perfunctory. Exchange a few pleasantries; ensure that no one was going to bad mouth the other and of course the signing of an iron clad non-disclosure agreement.

However, you know what is said about the best laid plans.

"Headmaster Chalmers are you really attempting to fit your mouth around the words that _my kids_ are the problem?" Olivia asked in a biting tone.

Fitz couldn't help the small smile that curled on his lips as he settled back deeper into his chair. His Livie was out for blood and it had all started out so well too. They had sent the kids off with their agents; he and Olivia had made their way toward the Headmaster's office flanked by four agents; Stanton and Mullhall being two of them. Greetings and pleasantries were exchanged, refreshments were even offered as the two settled in to wait for the Headmaster. The same man who appeared barely a minute later looking rather flustered and began to apologize profusely for being late even if only by a minute.

However when Olivia pulled a folder as if from thin air and began to discuss and push for the school's signature of the non-disclosure and to take on the responsibility of informing any extenuating parties, that's when it all started to go bad – for the headmaster.

Enough was enough in Olivia's opinion; she stood up and opened the folder as she slid it toward the man seated across from her. She then leaned forward and braced her hands on the desk.

"Headmaster Chalmers you had two children under your care, the care of this fine academic institution in a very abusive environment. Two children who also just so happen to be, the First Children of the United States, I don't care if Jesus Christ himself donated money to this god forsaken institution if you don't sign this agreement right here and now I will unleash such tidal wave of litigation and negative PR the likes of which you have _never_ seen and you will _never_ recover. You were very complimentary when we first met saying that my reputation preceded me, well honey get ready because you're about to get a firsthand look at what happens to those who _cross me and mine_ and make no mistake those kids are _mine_ – or… or you can sign these papers and we can all be smiling as you watch me and my client walk out your office door." She finished with a wicked grin.

The headmaster looked back down at the papers sitting in front of him before his eyes lifted to scan the room once more. The President was settled quite comfortably into his chair, his legs crossed, his chin resting on one of his hands as he took in the scene with a small smug smile. The man had barely uttered a word after introductions were exchanged allowing this powerhouse of a woman to take center stage. It quickly became clear that while the man might be the leader of the so called free world, this woman – Olivia Pope clearly ran the show, ran him.

A quick glance to the two Secret Service Agents that flanked the door told him all he needed to know. While their heads and eyes were facing forward, the small barely noticeable smiles on their lips were a dead giveaway. That although, Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III was the President, the one to fear in this situation was the deceptively diminutive woman in front of him. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he went through the ten page agreement and signed, initialed and dated where necessary.

Olivia let out a sound of approval before collecting the paper work; she then turned her back on the headmaster effectively dismissing him.

"Mister President,"

Fitz's smile merely widened, though he did his best to keep a full blown grin at bay. He didn't even bother to acknowledge the man seated behind the desk. He motioned for Olivia to go ahead of him as he unfolded his frame from the chair. He then placed a hand on the small of her back as he guided her out of the office. Agents Stanton and Mullhall followed.

"Elitist asshole,"

At that Fitz could no longer hold back the dark chuckle that he'd been holding at bay.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Mellie huffed out a sigh. She just had the baby removed by one his nurses, he was fussing but she was thinking and couldn't be bothered. She loved her children, she did but she just didn't know what to do with them. They were expected of her so she had them.

Her thoughts then wandered to her husband. If she were honest with herself she knew that she didn't love him, merely the idea of him. They had been barely married two years before she found herself in bed with another man. She liked sex, she was far from a prude but the things… the things Fitzgerald wanted her to do, the things he wanted to do to her, the things he wanted her to do to him – it was too much. The man was so big, so hot and he always wanted to dominate her, sex with Fitz was always too raw, hot, sticky and just plain messy. The man liked to fuck, to put it simply. Even when making love, it was fucking.

She was a lady, she did _not_ fuck – not even her husband.

That was why she initially saw Olivia Pope as a godsend; she no longer would have to put up with Fitz's advances and to be honest after he had spent _any_ amount of time with Olivia he was invigorated, the campaign thrived when Fitz did. So she kept her mouth shut and allowed him his time with Olivia. However, the moron had to go and think he was in love. That was some straight up bull in Mellie's opinion.

While Mellie enjoyed the company of other men, there was never any emotional attachment. It was sex, it was a release. A nice way to spend a few hours while a man worshiped her, it was that and nothing more. Mellie was also very aware that Fitz had _never_ once stepped out on their marriage before Olivia Pope. That really should have been her first warning sign, why after nearly twenty years would he stray? They do say that hindsight is twenty/twenty.

With a sigh she sipped her tea and turned her eyes back to the television. They were still covering the fact that Fitz was out in California tending to the children. She had originally hit the roof when she found out that Olivia was out there with him but soon saw it for the gift that it would be. The two of them were almost never around one another anymore and she knew any time with Olivia would usually improve Fitz's mood – even if only for a time.

He'd come back to D.C., back to reality and Olivia would send him on his merry way again. With the kids squared away still at boarding school his attention could be completely focused on her. She knew there was no way in hell he'd deal with her before dealing with the kids, so she was currently in a holding pattern.

Although, all bets were off once his ass was back in the capital.

**End Twelve**

_The 'Mensa Level Morons' comment is not mine, it's a little gem I stumbled across on tumblr and I literally laughed out loud when I saw it, so I managed to work it in. To me, it sounded very much like something Cyrus would say. This was a difficult one to write, I'm still not entirely happy about it. So what's everyone thinking? I'm curious where everyone is at with all that I have going on. _

**Next** do we or don't we run out the clock? Anyone been missing Rowan? I know I have, so he's bound to show up soon. I will say this though, Mellie isn't too happy when he pops in.


	13. Thirteen

_I love some of the responses to the last chapter. Things are about to get messy. Fitz and Olivia have been in a bit of a bubble and it's about to burst. _

Thirteen

_Halford Rimbeau's blood was boiling; his hands were clenched at his sides. He was currently being lead out of the White House by two of his superiors as if he were a prisoner. He had just finished briefing the First Lady on the whereabouts of her husband. Once he had exited the room he was met by his superior officers. He knew immediately that his senior agent, Tomas Stanton had gone through with his threats to make a complaint about his behavior. _

_He had already proven that he would put his life on the line for the president but apparently both Tom and his superiors did not feel that was enough of a commitment. He was very quietly told that he served the President of the United States and that because he could not rectify his personal views with the responsibility of his job he was to be removed from the field and to be put on administrative duty until one Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III was no longer his Commander in Chief. _

_So like a good solider he quietly followed his superiors out of the building and to a new post, however his mind had begun to race as to how he could get his coveted position back. _

_Hal would find a way back to the White House._

_A few miles away Tom Stanton received notice that Hal had been removed from rotation and that Patrick Mullhall was now his full time partner. He quietly acknowledged the news before shifting on his feet. _

"_How long are we going to be out here?" Patrick murmured._

"_Awhile," Tom replied. _

_The two then settled in to wait. The President had just brought Miss Pope home from the hospital. Tom was well aware it could be hours before they were on the move again. _

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Olivia let out a sigh as she settled deeper into the plush leather seat. It had been ages since she'd been on Air Force One. The kids were safely tucked away in the kitchen munching on breakfast delicacies that probably had far too much sugar in them that was good. While she sat with Fitz in one of the lounge areas, the group had just taken off and was on their way back to the capital.

"How are you doing?" She asked.

"Good, excited. I can't wait to get back. I know Mellie hold up at Blair House is still an issue but I just can't wait to be home with my kids." He said excitedly.

"Good," she replied quietly with a small smile.

"Liv?"

"I'm just enjoying the moment; I know I'll be sad when it's over."

"Over… what are you talking about?"

"Fitz, c'mon you know what I mean – this... this has been nice but we've been in one hell of a bubble. Nothing has really changed. You made mistakes, I made mistakes and don't get me wrong I'm glad we're moving past them but us. We can't be us. You once said we were _good friends,_ that is the best we can hope for."

"Olivia, you are not pulling this again. I said that we would work us _together_!"

"No, Fitz I'm not… I'm not trying to be difficult on purpose but you have to admit there are some pretty damn huge hurdles here. You are _married_, you are President of the United States – these are facts. I was wrong to not tell you about Defiance. I was wrong again so long ago to just up and leave you without discussing it first. This time, I refuse to make the same mistakes again of not talking to you but we have to be realistic. The most we can hope for right now is to be friends, I will always be there for you and the kids though, and you have to know that."

"Liv… I know we both made our fair share of mistakes and it kills me the way I lashed out at you at Verna's funeral but we are better _together_ than we are apart. I told you once that us being together is all that matters, I _still_ believe that!"

"Fitz,"

Suddenly desperate Fitz got up from his seat across from her and settled into the one just beside her, he then took one of her hands to cradle between both of his. He then tucked their hands against his chest before looking down at her imploringly.

"Olivia, this past year I have learned only one thing that I cannot exist without you that I cannot breathe without you. That the man that I am without you is… I'm nothing. I'm _nothing_, and you are _everything_ and I need you to give me another chance. I _demand_ another chance. We're worth another chance!"

As the tears began to well in her eyes she gently shook her head as she rose from her seat. She then removed her hand from his grasp, just before she reached out to cradle his head in her hands.

Olivia then leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his temple.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He could feel her lips press against his skin one more time.

"I'm going to go check on the kids," she said brokenly before she quickly moved away.

Fitz's hands dropped heavily into his lap as his head bent forward to tuck into his chest. A tear splashed onto his hand before he looked up and breathed in heavily.

This couldn't be it, his heart and head began to race.

However he was at a complete loss as what to do next.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

It was time to go to war.

"I'm asking you to be an adult, stop holding your breath, quit stomping your feet, it's time to pick up your toys like a good girl and act like the First Lady of the United States of America."

"I am the child? I'm not the one stealing the car to go make out with my girlfriend." Mellie bit out in response.

"It's not working; it's not going to work. He's not backing down on this. He's landed and I just got off the phone with him. Guess what? He's got two extra people coming back here with him. He's over it, over this, it's his ballgame now!"

Mellie froze momentarily at the mention of her children's return to the White House but recovered quickly.

"Neither am I, Rachel can you come in for a minute?"

Disbelief began to color Cyrus's features.

"You called Gale Hudson over at BNC, right?"

"Yes ma'am,"

"Then we're all set up for tomorrow night, primetime? Thank you Rachel,"

With that the pretty blonde assistant left the room.

"Tell Fitz he has thirty-six hours to convince me in person that he regrets the unfortunate choices he's made and truly wants to recommit himself to his wife and children, if he doesn't he will have the pleasure of seeing the First Lady of the United States call her husband a whore loving bastard on national television."

"You wouldn't," he uttered in disbelief.

"Call my bluff, Cy. I dare you."

Cyrus turned and began to walk away in disbelief. It could all come crashing down because he was surrounded by children, _children_ who couldn't get their shit together. What the hell did Mellie care if her husband was sleeping around, he knew she was far from faithful herself. However, right now Mellie was a loaded gun that could take them all down and that scared the hell out of him.

It was time for drastic measures, as soon as he hit the tunnels he whipped out his cell phone.

One ring

Two rings

"Yes Cyrus,"

"How involved are you with Fitz right now?"

"Excuse me,"

"Are you two back together, are you planning on getting back together? Do you have plans to see him again? Oooor are you two back to doing the heavy phone breathing routine?"

"Cyrus!"

"Mellie is not playing around this time, she's at Blair House, she's packed her bags and she's left. She's got a _damn_ interview set up with BNC! She's going to announce to the _world_ that her somewhat high profile husband is in fact a philandering cad and for some reason I seem to be the only one around here taking her threat seriously."

"We're just friends,"

"Friends… what kind of friends? The type with benefits, the type that hang out every Friday night or the type that only catches up once a year? Friends, that don't ever really talk or meet up but sure have got that heavy phone breathing routine down!?"

"Friends – with a considerable amount of distance, barring apocalyptic emergencies."

With a growl of frustration, Cyrus then cut off the call.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Reasoning with one child failed - miserably, now it was time to try the other.

"It's more than a tantrum sir, she's digging _in_. Sir, I need you to focus on this."

"I'm running a country, in fact I should be with my children at the moment but I'm stuck in here with this paperwork. I want to get it done so I can in fact get back to my kids who I just brought home."

"You won't be running a country if you don't do something about the incoming nuclear winter that is your wife."

"Cyrus,"

"Humor me, humor me _save_ an old man with high blood pressure from an unnecessary stroke."

"After what I found out in California the _last_ thing I'm looking to do is _placate_ Mellie. Mellie also graduated top of our class in law school, while a total bitch she's brilliant, she is focused, she is logical – most of the time and above all she is ambitious."

"Sir,"

"Wet her appetite, take out your magic ball and show her, her bright, bright future."

"Okay,"

"Cyrus, Mellie's also stubborn-"

"When I was a young man I thought of owning a bookstore-"

"Explain the concept of mutual assured destruction to her."

With that Fitz watched Cyrus make his way out of the Oval. He was sick of this constant tug of war with Mellie. He asked for very little and more often than not, he was left wanting. It was with that thought that he made his next move.

"What?"

"I need to see you,"

"You just saw me,"

"I need to see you,"

"No,"

"Come here to the White House right now,"

"No,"

"Fine, I'll come to you."

"What!?"

"Its rush hour but depending on how long it takes Tom and Pat to pull the car around I could be in your office in ten minutes. Are all of your people still there? Tell them to stick around, I'd love to say hello."

With a growl Olivia cut off the call.

She then sucked her lower lip in between her teeth in indecision. Fitz had officially fallen off the edge. He knew never to be this reckless. She knew well from experience that if she didn't appear before him within the next thirty minutes he _would_ make his way to her office. Decision made. She was back on the phone while she drove down the busy D.C. streets.

"Cyrus Beene,"

"Cy, we have a problem,"

"Nothing could be more problematic than Mellie at the minute."

"I'm on my way to the White House."

Cyrus who had been making his way toward the tunnels at a steady clip, stopped abruptly.

"Uh, no you are _not_!"

"Cyrus he just called… no he just _summoned_ me. If I don't show up he has all but _promised_ to show up on my doorstep. Now which would you prefer? For me to show up in the Oval in the middle of the day, something that has happened probably a million times before or for him to leave in the middle of the day and appear at my offices. The offices of a very well known crisis manager, just hours before his wife is set to go on national television?"

"Olivia," he growled.

"Cyrus! What would you have me do?" She asked exasperated.

"I'm on my way to deal with Mellie, you can_not_ come here now. If she finds out-"

"Cy, what would you have me do? You _know_ Fitz, you do! It may take awhile for him to get there but once he sets his mind to something he's like a damn dog with a bone. He wants to see me and he wants to see me _now_. So decide, because I'm less than five minutes out."

"Fine, fine but in and out. I mean it Liv; we are playing with fire here. Someone is going to get burned and it can't be us!"

Olivia more than anyone knew what was at stake, she ended the call quickly and threw the car into park. She grabbed her bag and quickly passed through security.

"What the hell do you think you're trying to pull!?"

"Why don't you have a seat?"

"What do you want?"

"Sit down,"

"No, we had an agreement."

"Sit down,"

"No,"

"Sit down, Olivia!"

"I am _busy_, I have a job, I have people who count on me. I don't have time to come down to the White House at your beck and call. Like you're the only one who is important, we had an agreement. This is _not_ distance, the world is not ending. The kids aren't in any trouble. Sitting down is _not_ happening, so what the hell do you want!?"

"You,"

"Goodbye Mister President!"

"Oh c'mon!"

"You do _not_ summon me!"

"You do _not_ walk away from me!"

Olivia then blew out a frustrated breath and tossed her things on a nearby sofa before moving out of view of the cameras.

"We had an agreement Fitz, to keep our distance, to be friends at the most. This cannot be happening. This – stuff like this is done, it's over."

"This isn't over, we're not over! We're not ever going to be over! I am _never_ going to be over you!"

"Your wife is at Blair House and she's about to _explode_ your political career. You also just got your kids back at home from the purgatory that is boarding school. You'll never get re-elected if you don't get her back, your time as President will be over and you're worried about getting your _mistress_ back!?"

"How many times do I need to tell you that you're more than that?"

Olivia merely shook her head in exasperation in response.

"Come back to me, forgive me, I love you."

"Please stop, just stop, _stop_ getting my hopes up. We've been down this road before and I let myself be – _believe_ that there could be something. _Fitzgerald_ we can't even seem to handle being friends so just _stop_!

"I can't stop, I won't."

Again a frustrated sigh was his response.

"Olivia,"

"You are _married_, you have _children_, children you just got back, and you're welcome by the way. I am not a toy you can play with when you're bored or lonely or horny. I am _not_ the girl the guy gets at the end of the movie. I am not a fantasy! If you want me, earn me! Until then we are done."

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

This had to work. The flames were beginning to burn too hot and fast for it not to.

He started out nicely enough, laid out the dream. A dream he knew she would have trouble resisting. Fitz was right Mellie was ambitious, so ambitious that it might actually be her downfall because there was no way in hell he was going to let a scorned housewife take down his house of cards.

"It's not enough; it's not what I asked for."

"Take this deal, or else…"

"Or else, what?"

He then laid out the dirty, Mellie was about image. If she didn't look good she wouldn't do it. It didn't matter who got hurt, killed and/or maimed in the process. If it wasn't about Mellie, it wasn't going to happen.

"Olivia Pope just left my husband's office,"

The smile that curled on Cyrus's lips was pure Machiavellian.

"Oh good, she was quicker than I thought she would be. You see Mellie you are the one on the outside looking in. Fitz is the President of the United States; I am his Chief of Staff and well Olivia Pope, is Olivia – she's everything. You, you are nothing. What was it Fitz said once? You are ornamental, not functional and I've come to realize something recently – you are very much _replaceable_. I'm betting you wished you hadn't torn up that deal I just presented you with." He said with a dark chuckle as he removed himself from the First Lady's presence.

He knew he just took a major gamble, big time by saying what he said to Mellie but after the stunt Fitz pulled when Olivia ended up in the hospital followed quickly by their trip to California he knew trying to separate those two was a losing battle. He wasn't kidding when he told Olivia that the optics of the two of them openly together would be glorious. They would be but right now the public loved Mellie – that would have to change. He had been an utter fool; Fitz was now in office the hard part was over. Yes he had another term to earn but with the right maneuvering that would be easily won – especially with Olivia by Fitz's side.

Cyrus had banked on the fact that for Mellie to come out about an affair she would have to humiliate herself, that was something she would never do – he hoped.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

He had gambled and failed. It could all come crashing down; it was about to all come crashing down. The time for false bravado had passed. He knew there was only one person who could get Mellie to see reason at this point. He just hoped that Fitz could finally grasp how serious the situation had become.

"I have tried _everything_, exhausted every approach. We have less than two hours before the First Lady's clock runs out."

"I'm through discussing Mellie's political maneuverings."

"No sir you're not, you are _not_!"

"She'll blink,"

"She won't,"

"Mellie _loves_ being First Lady,"

"The thing about Mellie right now, the thing you don't seem to realize is that she's very dangerous right now. She's a walking suitcase nuc waiting to go boom because she's _not thinking_ like the First Lady. She's not thinking like the political animal I know she can be. Right now, she's thinking like a wife, she's thinking like a woman scorned. She's thinking like someone whose _heart_ has been broken one too many times. She's a credible threat right now sir. Which is why there is a BNC news satellite truck parked in front of Blair House as we speak. Time to fold sir and give. Give her what she wants. Just give her _whatever she wants_! You love this job? You love being President? You give for what you love. Give her the damn moon. Go to her, save your presidency sir because time is running out."

He knew Cyrus was looking at him imploringly, hoping that he would run to Mellie but the only things he could think about were Olivia and his kids. Olivia never fought him so hard before, even when they were resisting each other on the trail in the beginning. He knew damn well they were at a turning point, there was a very real possibility he could lose her and for good this time. He had just gotten his kids back, he couldn't afford for their relationship to breakdown again so soon.

"Lauren, let Tom and Pat know we're on the move."

First stop, his children.

He quickly made his way up to the residence and found Karen engrossed in a book with her headphones blasting while Gerry was hacking away at zombies on the television.

"Guys,"

"Apocalypse?" Gerry asked. Karen merely pulled an ear bud from one of her ears.

"Something like that, I know you guys just got settled in and I promised we'd do something tonight but I was hoping we could maybe push it to tomorrow afternoon? I normally wouldn't ask but… something big is happening –"

"Daddy, you're the president we get it." Karen said with a smile.

Fitz looked around the room, seemingly lost for a moment.

"Could you guys do me a favor, just for tonight until I'm back tomorrow? No television, no internet. Just stay disconnected for a few hours?"

"Wow, that big huh?" Gerry asked, as he dropped the game controller.

"It's going to be pretty big if the rumblings I've heard are any indication." He said with a heavy sigh.

"Okay, we can do that." Gerry replied, Karen responded with a nod of agreement as well.

Fitz then nodded in return before moving forward to wrap them both up in a hug.

"Okay guys, I'll be back."

Once he was gone, Karen pulled the second bud from her ear.

"Mom has got to be up to something." Karen said.

"What makes you think its mom?"

"Did you see how freaked out Dad was?" She said with an eye roll.

"Fair point, we'll know details tomorrow."

"You're not seriously going to wait until then?"

"Dad asked us to disconnect, we agreed."

Gerry looked at his sister, back at the television screen and his sister once more before he let out a heavy sigh and turned off the game. He then switched to one of the major news networks.

"You go get snacks; I'll stay here and keep an eye on things."

With a squeal of delight Karen took off for the White House kitchens, while Gerry kept vigil over the news.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

He was here, at her apartment. What the hell was he doing at her apartment!?

"What is happening?" she asked as she followed him into her living room.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you here?"

"Someone said something very wise to me today, give the person you love whatever they want. So I am here to find out _what do you want_?"

"Fitz, have you lost your mind? We talked about this; we talked about all the impossibilities. You know that if should you ever need me I will be there for you, same goes for the kids. I am your friend, I care about you. But what you're doing right now… just what are you doing!?"

"What do you want?" He asked again as if she hadn't spoken.

"In twenty-two minutes Mellie's clock runs out." She said hoping it would jar him into action.

"I know she's going public tonight. On primetime,"

"In twenty-two minutes Mellie is going to go _nuclear_ on you. You should be in your car heading down Pennsylvania Avenue to Blair House to repair your marriage. Or calling her on the phone to repair your marriage, _you should be doing something to repair your marriage_! Because if you don't, you're chances for re-election-"

"Are very slim and that's my problem. Not yours and frankly I don't care. I am here to find out _what do you want_? Do you want me or don't you?"

"You don't care that the clock is running out?" she asked incredulously.

He let out a huff.

"I'm going to sit here and run out the clock with you."

"Does Cyrus know where you are? Maybe he can get Mellie to give you an extension or something."

"Hang up the phone,"

Olivia continued to ignore him.

"Hang up the damn phone! You can't fix the fact that I love you. That I love you more than being president. I have told you that I'd give it all up for you again and again and you know what I think? I think you don't believe me. I think you believe that I will never choose you. So this time, I'm fixing things. We are going to sit here for the next twenty-one minutes. We are going to sit here and the clock on my marriage is going to run out – we're going to run it out together. You're going to watch me run out this clock, you're going to sit here with me and watch me choose you."

"You wouldn't," she whispered.

"I would, I will, I'm going to,"

"Have you lost your mind? You can't be doing this right now." She whispered in disbelief.

"We've both been so worried about taking care of everyone but ourselves. I love you Livie and its time I proved it to you. Sit with me, sit with me Liv. Sit with me and let's run out the clock. Sit with me and watch me choose you. Watch me earn you."

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Gerry and Karen couldn't look away from the television. There was their mother, talking to their uncle James but their dad was nowhere in sight. Their dad wasn't kidding when he implied things were apocalyptic. Whatever was about to go down was going to be real bad and both Grant kids knew it.

"… _I found out that my husband was unfaithful to me,"_

"Holy –" Gerry whispered.

"Shit," Karen finished.

"Did mom just really say that on national television?"

"I think Dad might've already kissed Olivia," Karen whispered.

Gerry whipped around to face his sister.

"You don't think… I mean, really!?"

Karen merely gave him an eye roll in response.

"This is beyond messed up," Gerry said with a growl.

"It sucks… but it's not really all that messed up."

"Karen, how can you say that? I mean mom just called dad a cheater on national television and let's be honest it's probably the truth."

"C'mon Ger, we might be kids but we're not stupid. You know if Daddy has kissed Olivia, it's only been Olivia. Mom… well mom can't say the same and you know it."

This caused Gerry to pause.

"Well yeah I know… but I didn't know you _knew_!" He said as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Mom's not exactly been…"

"Discreet, yeah I know. Aren't you mad though? This is _really_ embarrassing." Gerry moaned.

"Get real Ger, Dad loves Olivia and Olivia probably loves him right back. It's not right or cool but I'm more mad that they lied to us about it. Mom did what she did… because she was bored. I know because I heard her on the phone one time."

"We have some seriously fucked up parents," Gerry said as he flopped down on the sofa beside his sister.

"You really think that? At least dad loves Olivia, he _loves_ her Ger. I just know it. Tell me you think differently." She said as she turned to face her brother.

"Okay, so just mom is deranged," he said with a huff.

Karen shrugged in response.

"So, now what?" He asked.

"GTA?"

"Dad _hates_ you playing that game; he hates me playing that game,"

Karen arched a brow in response.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

She fell back on the bed with a laugh; his large body quickly covered hers. The man was insatiable; he had already taken her hard and fast on the sofa in her living room. However tonight they had nothing but time. He was finally hers and hers alone.

One of his hands skimmed down her body before they began to gently tease her wet folds, his other rested on her neck as his lips and tongue sucked on the side of her neck. Suddenly without warning he pushed inside and she let out a squeak of surprise. He gave her no time to adjust before he pushed her legs up, forcing her to bend her knees opening her wide to his thrusts. Soft huffs escaped her with each thrust; he looked down at her with smirk as he picked up his pace. He couldn't help but take pleasure in the way her breast bounced in time with each huff that escaped her lips as he pushed inside of her.

He then shifted her body to have one leg rest over his shoulder as he laid his body more heavily over her, his hand reached out to rest against the headboard as he moved to thrust into her faster. At that the soft huffs turned into shrieks. He watched in satisfaction as her body tightened beneath and around him before Olivia's eyes rolled into the back of her head.

With a chuckle, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips before he moved down her body. Olivia then let out a moan as she felt his tongue run up her sex in one long lick. Her hands dropped to his hair and shoulders, he let out a laugh as he began to nibble at her folds.

It wasn't long before her body shuddered again he was tracing his way back up her body. He then went to roll her body on top of his but instead found himself on the floor by the side of her bed.

"Very suave Mister President," she said with a laugh as she looked down at him.

He responded with a wicked grin as his hand shot out and tugged her down on top of him. Her hands rested on his chest as she rolled her hips. Fitz reached out to still her hips before he slid inside her once more. They both sighed simultaneously as she settled on his length.

She kept her hands perched on his chest as she rolled her hips against his. As they continued to move Olivia dropped her body down and her hands moved to rest on the floor just above his shoulders. Fitz moved his arms to curl around her shoulders as his hips pressed up against hers. One of his hands slid up her neck and into her hair as he pulled her lips to his. Their movements became frantic and as Olivia collapsed onto his chest, Fitz pressed up into her one last time letting out a loud growl.

With a heavy sigh, he reached up to push a few strands of hair from Olivia's eyes, while her head rested on his shoulder. He then looked down at her with a small smile.

"Hi,"

A large giddy grin curled on her lips.

"Hi," she whispered.

**End Thirteen**

_That was a tough one but I'm pretty happy with it. Hope everyone enjoyed the little flashback at the beginning of the chapter. I've kicked Hal to the curb! Let's hope he doesn't find his way back. Thanks very much to 2x19 and 2x20 for some of the dialogue but who doesn't want to relive those particular moments? Wow my first full lemon with these two, here's to hoping it satisfied lol. _

**Next** we're back on track with the show for a minute but I'm derailing the train again soon. Hurricane Rowan is coming! It's my mission to get you guys to like my Rowan!

Reviews are my life's blood… just thought you should know.


	14. Fourteen

_Do you guys have no faith in me!? Would I really break up our favorite couple? Even after all the back and forth and now finally, finally they're together! Well you guys will just have to trust me that I'll do right by the lot of you!_

_I don't normally respond to reviews here but, Aunt Dee94 I think you need to go back and check out chapters five and six, Jake is dead. So just to let everyone know there will be no crazy Jake spying or in love with Liv or the hole or any of that. I'm sorry to report that I like Rowan, purely for the reason that he's all kinds of crazy which allows me to do whatever I want with him – because almost nothing I could have him do would be out of character. He's a free pass to the crazy fair and like I said I will get you guys to like my Rowan!_

Fourteen

"You, enjoying yourself back there?" She asked with a laugh.

"I love this, this _is_ magic, and your hair is magic!" He replied with a giddy grin.

"Watch your fingers and my neck! That thing is ridiculously hot for a reason."

The two had just fallen out of a shower and as Fitz ran a towel down her body he caught sight of her blow dryer and straightening iron. That was how Olivia now found herself standing in front of her bathroom mirror bare breasted and with a very naked man standing behind her acting as if watching her hair go from its natural curls to straight strands was the eighth wonder of the world.

"I've always been fascinated with your hair, I love it. I have wanted to do this since the trail but… but there was never any time. Now we've got nothing but time," he said with a smile as his fingers carded through her hair.

The two shared a smile in the mirror just before Fitz set the iron down.

"So, how'd I do for my first time?"

Olivia leaned forward and began to fluff her hair as she turned her head to look at her hair from different angles in the mirror. As she arched her hips she felt a hardness begin to press up against her backside.

"Excited," She said with a coy look over her shoulder.

With a growl he stepped right up behind her and bent her body across the vanity, placing her hands up above the sink. He then skimmed his hands up her arms, over her shoulders, down her back and over her hips as he lifted one of her legs, he then let her knee rest against the vanity. A large hand then settled on her tummy while the other went to her hip and he was inside her once more.

Their eyes met in the mirror as he began to move, he then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her jaw. His hand then left her hip and moved to cover one of hers, their fingers now intertwined. His hand pressed against her tummy as he moved inside her, which held her flush against him. Their eyes locked in the mirror as Fitz continued to move, his eyes then rolled back before he pressed his face into her neck. With a growl he felt Olivia's body shudder beneath his and with another stroke he emptied himself inside of her.

"Shit," he breathed out against the side of her neck.

Olivia began to giggle in response; Fitz couldn't contain the grin that curled on his lips. He grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her up into his arms as he made his way into the bedroom, ignoring her squeal of indignation. He then dropped her unceremoniously in the middle of the bed and crawled on top of her with a growl.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Agent Tom Stanton was pretty sure he didn't get paid enough to deal with what was currently happening. He could handle helping the President meet with the love of his life discreetly. He could handle the late night conversations that he and the President would have as the man shared his frustrations about his love for a woman that wasn't his wife, a love for a country that he wasn't sure would support a divorced President.

Hell he could even handle another assassination attempt.

However at this very moment he was staring down into the mouth of a very angry dragon.

"… Jesus forgives! Jesus saves, I destroy and I will bring vengeance down upon you in a hail of fire and brimstone. _You will open that door! Now!_" Cyrus Beene growled.

Yeah there was no way in hell he was paid enough for this.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

"Get up!" Cyrus bellowed.

In shock and mortification Olivia burrowed her head into Fitz's chest. However Fitz was far from mortified, he was annoyed. He rolled onto his back and pushed himself up to lean against the headboard while Olivia continued to burrow into his side, in a very poor attempt to disappear.

"Cyrus, you're in Olivia's bedroom. Why are you in Olivia's bedroom?" Fitz asked lazily.

"Why am I… What – Fitzgerald!" Cyrus stuttered as he choked on his tongue.

"Cyrus we are naked. We are _very_ naked. I don't think it's appropriate for you to be in here right now." Fitz said as a matter of fact, brow raised in askance.

Olivia's moan of horror was muffled by Cyrus's scream of frustration.

Fitz continued to look at his Chief of Staff with a small smirk curled on his lips. Nothing, absolutely nothing and no one was going to make him feel bad about the choice he had made the night before. He was finally living for himself and the rest of the world could go to hell for all he could care. So long as he had Olivia and his children.

Cyrus then took a cleansing breath and rolled his eyes heavenward.

"You two are my children and I love you, my very, very stupid children. You two are my children and I love you. You two are my children and I love you." Cyrus began to mutter softly.

"Cyrus,"

Another breath and Cyrus folded his hands in supplication.

"Sir, I am begging you to meet me half way here. I can already tell you two did _not_ watch the Mellie interview but it's bad, it's very bad. We can recover from this, we can but I need you two with your heads in the game. Look I get it, you took the plunge and you somehow want this thing to work –"

"Cyrus,"

"No, sir let me finish. I get it, I do. I'm the one always talking about you not giving up your place in history. Maybe this is it but I _need_ you two to be level headed about this. If you two want the endgame of getting Mellie out of the White House and getting married to Olivia while keeping your job – I need us to be a team. _Please_."

At this point Olivia had yet to speak but Cyrus could see her eyes peek out from under the bed clothes. Fitz then looked down at the woman curled into his side before his eyes slid back to Cyrus.

"Okay but I wasn't kidding Cyrus. We are all kinds of naked over here. You need to step out." Fitz teased.

"Right," with that Cyrus disappeared into the living room.

"Oh my god," Olivia whispered.

"It wasn't that bad," Fitz said with a laugh as he crawled out of the bed.

Olivia settled up against the headboard, as she dragged the sheet up to tuck around her breasts.

"Not that bad?" She asked wide eyed.

Fitz had wandered to the other side of the room and began to pull on his pants. He then turned back toward Olivia; his pants remained open and hung low on his hips.

"Fuck you are gorgeous like this, you have no idea how much I just want to hide here for the day." He said with a smile.

"_Fitzgerald_, you just promised Cyrus we'd get our heads in the game. I don't think hiding here all day is what he had in mind."

Fitz merely rolled his eyes and let out a little grumble in response.

Olivia then crawled from the bed herself, still wrapped in the sheet.

"No grumbling, we've got work to do." She said as she pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

Fitz licked his lips in satisfaction as he watched Olivia saunter off to the bathroom to begin getting ready. He had his woman, he had his children and now they were off to save his presidency. He had Olivia Pope on his side, in his heart and in his bed.

He wasn't worried, if he was honest with himself.

"Sir,"

"Cyrus do we have a preliminary game plan?"

"Not as of yet, I wanted to touch base with you and Olivia before we moved on anything."

"Liv is getting ready; we can get started as soon as she appears." Fitz said as he flopped down onto the sofa. He then flipped on the news in hopes of catching up on how the media portrayed his traitorous wife's bombshell.

Cyrus quietly excused himself when he felt his mobile begin to vibrate in his pocket.

"Cyrus Beene,"

"Ah Cyrus,"

"Rowan,"

"I imagine you're having a very busy morning."

"Sir,"

"Please tell me you've entered into some type of damage control mode."

"Yes, though it's still the early stages. I'm not entirely sure how the president wants to proceed."

"Mmmm make your plans Cyrus but keep them tentative. We need to meet. _Today_. I will be very useful to you today."

"When… Where,"

"I'll call you,"

Cyrus then heard the telltale click telling him the phone call had ended. He let loose a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Rowan was all about the Republic – he could only hope that at the end of this he didn't have a dead president.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Cyrus was sure he had entered an alternate reality.

His morning was spent at Olivia's apartment hammering out a tentative plan of attack. The little that was agreed on was that, Olivia would be brought in officially as the crisis manager. It was risky since Mellie could possibly name Olivia as the mistress between now and then but ultimately Olivia was the best and with their history it would look odd to the media for Olivia to not be brought in. Fitz would do a full press conference that evening, what couldn't be agreed on was what he was going to say.

That was where negotiations broke down between the three. Cyrus decided to play the waiting game since he had yet to meet with Rowan at that point.

"Cyrus! How are you?" Rowan asked with a bright smile.

"Sir,"

"Buck up Cyrus, things aren't nearly as bad as they seem."

"Sir, forgive me, but things are looking very bad."

"Yes, yes the First Lady has come out saying her husband is a philandering cad. However right now it's anyone's game. It's a he said/she said situation at the minute and that's the way we're going to keep it for now."

"Sir,"

"Let's not be naïve about this. Those two have been married for approximately twenty years yet she cheated about two years in. Mellie Vaunt hasn't been faithful to her marriage in about eighteen years. In that time she has not forged a single meaningful relationship with any of her dalliances. What she has done is used, abused, belittled and emasculated her husband of twenty years. A husband that up until very recently had stayed true to his marriage vows, bed and family."

"Sir, I know this, you know this but the American public –" Cyrus tried to interject.

"The first and only time Fitzgerald Thomas Grant stepped out on his marriage was for love. That is admirable although the American public won't swallow that – well most won't. The American public does not like cheaters, which is why we will let them do most of our dirty work for us. Mellie is the wicked witch in this particular tale, its time the public knew it."

"Mellie is fully aware of… of who the president's –"

"Mistress is? Yes I know, Olivia Pope."

At that Cyrus's eyes widened and his head whipped around to face Rowan.

"Please Cyrus; try not to act so surprised. I wouldn't be so willing to save this man's presidency if I wasn't aware of all aspects and goings on. Please trust me by this time tomorrow Mellie Vaunt will not be a problem. The only character assassination that will be occurring is that of Mellie Vaunt. This I promise you."

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Cyrus hustled himself quickly to the Oval where both Fitz and Olivia were waiting. When he walked into the room he found Fitz seated behind the Resolute Desk, his feet propped up with Olivia perched on the edge of the desk next to his feet. The two were speaking in hushed tones, soft smiles on their lips.

"Okay kids its almost game time!" He said as he clapped his hands together in anticipation.

"So what's the deal Cyrus? We sort of have a plan but when we left it this morning you said you were off to get more information." Fitz said.

"Sir, do you want to remain president and run for a second term?" Cyrus asked seriously.

Fitz shot Olivia a look.

"What do you think?"

"Run… run and win," she said softly.

"Thank god, okay right now everyone is just curious, is Mellie telling the truth? Is she lying? Is it poor President Grant with the cold frigid wife or poor Missus Grant with the mean slutty husband? They are waiting to see which way the wind blows. At this point I can pretty much guarantee the winds will be blowing in our favor but we still need to tread carefully."

"Guarantee, Cyrus?" Fitz asked.

"Details later, now you have a press conference,"

Fitz and Olivia shared another look before the two moved to follow Cyrus out of the Oval.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

"It's a game changer, I'm pretty sure the poor bastard is going down. He's out of options." The shadow whispered softly to his companion.

"No, we need more. That man is never out of options – not as long as _she_ is in his possession." The second shadow bit out viciously.

"So let's take his options away,"

A huff of contemplative agreement was the reply as the two melted away into the night.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Cyrus and Olivia hovered at the back of the press room like two nervous parents. Although Fitz had agreed on their prepared statement he had been something of a loose cannon lately. There was no telling what the man would do next.

"Good evening, I'll make this concise and to the point. _My marriage is none of your business_. And because the question has been asked repeatedly today, I'd like to take this opportunity to announce to the American People, that I will seek a second term as your president."

Cyrus and Olivia wilted in relief and shared a look of conspiratorial victory. This was just the first hurdle; soon the real work would begin.

"… and as I lay the foundation for my campaign I will remain focused on the job the American people elected me to do."

Olivia locked eyes with Fitz as he continued to make promises to the American public, promises she had every intention of helping him keep. She then turned to Cyrus and the two began to discuss what their next step was. They knew being in the press room they couldn't be too specific but they had to be prepared. Mellie was still an unknown – a dangerous one.

When she looked again, she saw a mischievous smirk curl on his lips.

"Now, any questions?"

The press went wild.

**End Fourteen **

_A little short, I know but we're getting there. I'm dying for you guys to see this major confrontation I have written. It's been written and waiting in the wings since chapter three lol._

_We're getting close to 100 reviews and my birthday is next week. So ya know if you guys feel like giving me an early birthday present, I wouldn't say no! _

_Check Papa Pope out, helping Cyrus clean up Mellie's mess. Tell me you're not starting to feel a little love for our own personal brand of crazy. If you still have reservations I can say without a doubt you will be fully head over heels in love with my Rowan by the next chapter – and if not then you have hearts of stone_!


	15. Fifteen

BIG UPS TO MZMOCHA! Thank you so much!

_I struggled with this one. The only thing I had written was the big blow out I've been dying for you guys to see, but that did not make a complete chapter lol. So I apologize for the delay_.

Fifteen

Bright blue eyes scanned the numerous images of Olivia Pope with something akin to a lover's caress. He was so close he could taste it now. That bastard Grant would be exposed for the lying philandering cad that he was. Although Amanda's death was an unfortunate one she was just a girl to be used and once her usefulness was finished she was to be discarded anyway. It was just perfect that her death would be one of the final nails in Grant's coffin. He couldn't stand the man ever since the campaign not only was he a complete and total RINO; he was exactly like all the guys he despised back in his college days. Too pretty, too gorgeous, too rich, too perfect, too everything, they were always the guys to get the girl, to get everything and Billy was always left with less than nothing.

Beautiful Olivia Pope was to be a fringe benefit. The woman was brilliant, beautiful and utterly perfect. Unlike some of his of his fellow Republicans he thought the hue of her skin only made her all the more alluring. Olivia Pope was his fucking unicorn and he was determined to be one of the guys who had it all, had everything. The status, the position, the money and _the girl_!

He had tried multiple times on the trail to attract her attention and it was all for naught. In all honestly her resistance only made him desire her even more. The memory of her in his arms albeit briefly at that State Dinner was something that he clung to desperately.

Soon he would have her. It was all finally going to fall into place.

Everything was coming up Billy.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Billy Chambers… Billy Fucking Chambers!

Olivia's body was trembling with repressed rage. Billy Fucking Chambers was the god damn mole. Sally Langston really had fucked over the Grant Administration – albeit unknowingly. When he was let go he was literally just let go, into the wind. No one did a sweep of his offices prior to leaving or after he left. So no one was aware of what he walked out of the building with. Since he was Sally's guy it was her staff's responsibility to make sure his exit was as clean as possible.

This was a complete an utter failure.

When she had gotten the phone call from Harrison her face dropped in horror. Cyrus was the first to catch sight of her distress quickly followed by Fitz. As soon as Cyrus had hustled her out of the press room, she could faintly hear Fitz starting to wrap things up. She knew it would only be a few minutes before he would come looking for the two of them. So it was no surprise to see that she was being lead to the Oval.

"Liv, what the hell is going on?" Cyrus asked softly.

Olivia merely shook her head in response as Fitz made his way into the room.

"We have a major… _major_ problem."

Fitz shot Cyrus a look, which caused Cyrus to shrug helplessly in response.

"I know who the mole is, truly is,"

"Well," Cyrus bit out impatiently.

"Billy Chambers," Liv whispered as she flopped down onto one of the sofas.

"I'm sorry, what!?" Cyrus moaned.

Fitz just dropped down next to Olivia in defeat.

"My team has more information but it's not like it was a secure line. I don't make a habit of carrying burners though I imagine I'm going to have to start. The little I got is that David Rosen has made off with the Cyrton Card, which means that Billy knows about Defiance. I don't know the _hows_ or _whys_ yet but at this point all that garbage is immaterial."

Cyrus let out a primal growl as he began to pace the length of the Oval.

"So what, it's over? All because of fucking Billy Chambers!?"

"Stop it Cy, we didn't come this far to fail now… right Liv," Fitz murmured.

"Cyrus we need to call 'em in, they need to know what's going on and how we should proceed. Set up the meeting for two hours from now. Somewhere on White House grounds, but quiet innocuous and away from everything."

"You have a plan," Cyrus said triumphantly, he had abruptly stopped pacing.

"Maybe," Olivia mumbled.

Which to Cyrus was a solid yes, Olivia's mind moved a mile a minute, if she was saying '_maybe_' then there was already a solid plan in place and she was just being cautious.

"Thank Fuck!"

With that Cyrus hurried out of the Oval to make the appropriate calls.

"Liv,"

Olivia turned to look at Fitz with a soft smile.

"Cyrus is off to bring Hollis and Mellie in, they were a part of… well you know. As much as I'm loathed to deal with Mellie right now, she and Hollis need to know what's going on. However, this time we need to play things the right way. The way things should have been the first time; you and me as a team. So-"

"I'm there, wherever, whenever you know I'm there with you Liv."

Olivia nodded with a smile.

"I need to touch base with my team, get more information. I need to know everything they know, I know because of it being an open line they were holding back. It's why I gave Cyrus a two hour window. That should be more than enough time to get what I need and get back. I'll be calling you, so if Cyrus tries to keep you out of this, don't worry I'll give you the details on the where and when."

She then leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his lips, as she pulled away Fitz rested his forehead against hers.

"Together," he said with a sigh

"Together,"

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Mellie was rather pleased with herself. She had ousted her lying cheating bastard of a husband. It mattered very little to her that she hadn't been faithful to the man sexually in nearly twenty years. She at least had the decency to stay loyal to him emotionally, she had never gone and fallen in love with any of her companions, it was always just sex.

That was what upset her most.

Mellie couldn't figure out what it was that made Olivia more desirable than her, better than her. What the hell did she have that Mellie didn't? It was something that frustrated and baffled her to no end. What the hell was it that made Fitzgerald stray after nearly twenty years of fidelity?

She knew after her little announcement that Fitz was going to have to start playing ball again. Even to this day she suspected that he knew about the affairs but had little to no proof of her extracurricular activities. While she knew that when push came to shove Fitz would _never_ deny Olivia, his too soft fucking bleeding heart wouldn't allow it.

It was why when she received Cyrus's phone call that there was a Defiance problem she couldn't help but be a little gleeful. Olivia _Fucking_ Pope would have to be there and it would the perfect opportunity to rub the bitch's nose in the mess she had created.

"SIT DOWN MELLIE!"

What she hadn't counted on was her husband showing up.

Her husband, the same husband who had never been privy to Defiance meetings before, her husband who threw an all out near year tantrum over Defiance – suddenly Mellie was left with a very sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

That sick feeling began to spread when she caught sight of the looks that were being shot back and forth between Olivia Pope and her husband. The second Olivia began to speak her world began to spin. Her stunt on Prime Time National Television clearly hadn't worked. Fitz should have been running back to her completely contrite and down trodden and Olivia, _Olivia_ should have looked at least somewhat shamefaced.

Yet none of that was happening.

Mellie's mind began to race. She had humiliated herself on national television and it appeared that it was all for nothing. The four continued to converse as if she wasn't present and after a consensus that it was David Rosen who was the problem and that Olivia would handle it, Hollis Doyle was the first to take his leave – not before finishing his sandwich first of course.

Then all that was left was '_The Dream Team_' and Mellie.

Mellie quietly gathered herself together and left without a word, none of them made any moves to stop her. As she made her way out of the kitchen and into one of the service hallways she could hear frantic whispering and the sound of heavy footsteps chasing after her. When she turned she was met by a pair of blue eyes.

They were not the blue eyes she wanted to see however.

"Cyrus,"

"Your little Prime Time stunt,"

Mellie snuffed in indignation as she tilted her chin upward.

"Stupid, very stupid Mellie,"

"Stupid you say, I announced to the _world_ that Fitz is a cheating bastard. All that's left is to name his whore!"

Cyrus chuckled darkly in response, which caused Mellie to recoil.

"You're a fool Mellie. We've done nothing but constantly underestimate him. I'm done making that particular mistake – you however, you're an idiot to keep doing so. That man is the President of the United States. You have to be pretty damn special to get to where he is. He's a decorated Navy Seal, a PhD and a Rhodes Scholar… Oh and let's not forget he has Olivia Pope at his back."

Cyrus then stepped forward into Mellie's personal space.

"You're on your way out Millicent,"

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Reston!

Fucking Murderous Governor Reston!

Reston and Billy Chambers!

The fury burned hot and bright through Olivia, she had to get to both Fitz and Cyrus immediately. Her team was already at work trying to untangle the web of lies and deceit that surrounded both Reston and Chambers. No sooner did she have Cyrus on the phone that she was already on her way out of the office and to the White House. They needed to plan, to strategize. It was apparent things had come to a boiling point.

Olivia didn't even bother to wait for the go ahead; she simply burst into the Oval.

"Reston! What did he say?" She asked frantically.

"Mister President, I have Mister Beene on the phone," Lauren annoucned.

"Cyrus,"

"What did Reston say? What did he say to you? What did you tell him!?"

Before either of them could respond Cyrus's belligerent yells could be heard over the line.

"It's bad, it's very bad! How's that!?"

"So what did he say?"

"He wants a deal?" Fitz responded.

After a short back and forth, Olivia quickly put the idea down of cutting Sally loose. However a loud commotion started to come over the line and the faint sound of a siren could be heard.

"Off, off, off!"

"Cyrus, where are you?"

"It's nothing,"

"Are you in an ambulance?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"I'm fine! These idiots are telling me I had a heart attack."

"Cyrus!" Both Fitz and Olivia cried out.

The two shot one another a look when they heard Cyrus instruct someone to '_shoot him_' just before the line went dead.

"Oh hell, he sounded fine when I got off the phone with him when I was telling him about Reston. Oh god do you think that's what did it?" Olivia moaned.

"Take a breath Liv. He'll be fine, he sounded fine. I bet they're taking him to James Madison. We can head over there together."

With a sharp nod the two quickly made their way out of the Oval.

-a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c-

Mellie was burning up inside. She just got finished listening to her husband's completely perfect, completely politically sound plan to get his whore into the White House, even she had to admit that it was beyond utterly perfect. Even Cyrus had been duly impressed by the plan. Cyrus who had been her number one champion, the man had been the only one besides herself who wanted to keep their failed marriage together. It was all crumbling before her eyes and she wasn't sure how she could stop it.

Everyone would come out the other side beautifully but that was the absolute last thing that Millicent Grant wanted.

There really was only one option left – to leak Olivia Pope's name.

She was so lost in thought that she did not immediately notice the companion seated in her car.

"Hello Madam First Lady,"

Mellie let out a shriek in response.

"Please be calm, we need to have a conversation and I figured this was the most expedient way for us to do so."

Mellie sat trembling as she took in the figure across from her. Her agents had to of known he was in the car; in fact the privacy partition was down up until a moment ago. They had allowed this man – whoever he was – to get this close to her.

"I was privy to the dressing down your husband just gave you moments ago. Amazing what that man can do with the right motivation and let's be honest; the motivation for today's Oscar Winning Performance was and is Olivia Pope. What you have failed to understand Millicent is that Olivia has unknowingly surrounded herself with warriors-"

"Warriors," she whispered incredulously.

"Warriors, Miss Vaunt, warriors that live for her, that breath for her that will kill for her and more importantly will die for her. You've met them, that lovely rag tag group of miscreants that seemingly showed up out of nowhere and disappeared into thin air during your husband's campaign – all at Olivia's bidding. You see while you bit, clawed, schemed and hurt to get your way to the top, Olivia helped, cared and reached back. You see every one of those people have been saved by the great Olivia Pope."

"So what," Mellie sneered defiantly.

A cruel smirk curled on the man's lips.

"You see Olivia is very aware of that particular army, she is very aware that these people worship at her proverbial altar – your husband included. What she isn't aware of is that there is an even larger army at her disposal but the fact of the matter is that this group of people don't and won't march on her orders, they march on _mine_ and that should scare you."

He could clearly see the questions lurking behind her eyes.

"You see while Olivia has a heart, possess morals and will always do her utmost best to '_wear the white hat_' – I on the other hand do not. If there is an objective, I will achieve it, all for the good of The Republic of course. Now Miss Vaunt I think you'd like to take a look at what I have here for you before you make your next move."

With that the mystery man pulled a large accordion like folder from his side and passed it over to Mellie, as the First Lady began to paw through the contents the color drained from her face, her eyes widened and filled with tears.

"I trust we understand one another, Miss Vaunt." He said as he began to make moves to leave the vehicle.

"Who are you!?" Mellie choked out.

The man unfolded his frame from the car before turning back toward the rather distraught woman inside.

"Madam First Lady, please tell our mutual friend Cyrus Beene that Rowan says '_Hello_'."

**End Fifteen**

_Oh hell yeah I went there! Did you guys never notice the very unhealthy interest Billy had in Olivia!? Now can Rowan get some love? That man just became my hero! I know I've left you hanging a little bit but I wanted to split this bit up. Reviews are love_.


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